French president gets on board

I heard this on the radio this morning, and got a laugh out of it. Now, the UK Guardian picks up the story. It strikes me as a good one…

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has lived up to his tough-talking reputation in an extraordinary outburst against two photographers while on holiday in the United States.

A furious Mr Sarkozy, clad only in his swimming trunks, leapt into a boat carrying the paparazzi and began shouting at them after he spotting them taking pictures.

Unfortunately, the president’s tirade – delivered in French – was entirely lost on the photographers, neither of whom could understand a word he was saying.

That’s as much as I heard on the radio newscast this morning, but smiled at the picture of this encounter. ‘Enough already,’ Sarkozy seemed to be saying.

He snapped when he spotted Jim Cole from Associated Press and Vince DeWitt, a freelance photographer, aboard a second boat. “He was happy and smiling and he waved at the security people as he was coming out. Then he noticed us taking pictures and his happy demeanour diminished immediately,” said Mr Cole after receiving the presidential ear-bashing.

The pair watched as the French president pointed at them and then ordered the driver of his boat to head in their direction. “I could see he was furious,” said Mr DeWitt.

Drawing alongside their boat, the president, wearing black trunks and aviator sunglasses, jumped aboard and started shouting. “He was very agitated, speaking French at a loud volume very rapidly,” added Mr DeWitt.

Mr. DeWitt, French is usually spoken very rapidly. When you’re intimidated, it must sound even faster. 

 “At one point he approached me and took my camera. He held it in his hands for a little while.”

Now I think that shows restraint on Sarkozy’s part.

Despite the photographers’ repeated protestations that they did not speak French, Mr Sarkozy continued to let rip.

That’s probably precisely why Mr. Sarkozy let rip. He knew they did not understand.

Mr Cole said he asked whether anyone else on the boat spoke English but there was no answer. After a while, Mr DeWitt said a woman told them in English the president wanted to be left alone.

Credit her with a polite save.

“I think it was his wife who explained he was angry because he thought he’d got an agreement not to be photographed by the press any more,” he told French radio. “We told him we hadn’t heard because we don’t speak French, and he calmed down.

Oh, likely excuse. ‘We didn’t get the memo…and we, uh…don’t understand your language.’

After they promised to stop taking pictures, Mr Sarkozy cooled down and returned to his boat to continue out on the lake. A second boat carrying US secret service agents followed behind.

See how reasonable he was? How did these renegade photographers get this kind of access to the French president? Why was the Secret Service far enough behind that they didn’t get to these photographers before the French president did? What if they had been snipers?

Of course, the photographers have their spin…

In an interview with French radio, Mr DeWitt said: “American politicians would realise the repercussions that losing their temper would have on their image.”

Which proves that the media believe they control American politicians. Not good news, eh?