I'm going to be sick:
"Book claims to tell Strauss-Kahn’s side; But ex-IMF chief distances himself from the account" December 02, 2011|By Jenny Barchfield, Associated Press
PARIS - A new book purports to give Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s version of events of what happened in that New York hotel suite.
In “DSK Affairs: The Second Inquiry,’’ Strauss-Kahn’s biographer says when a hotel maid locked eyes with the then-head of the International Monetary Fund after he emerged naked from a shower, he interpreted her allegedly seductive body language as a proposition....
the book by as “complete fantasy.’’
In key excerpts published in Paris Match magazine yesterday - ahead of the book’s scheduled Dec. 8 release - Michel Taubmann alleges maid Nafissatou Diallo, acted seductively upon bursting in on a naked Strauss-Kahn.
Upon seeing Strauss-Kahn, she “started walking toward the exit. But she wasn’t in any hurry,’’ the excerpt reads. “She stares him in the eyes. Then, she looks openly at his genitals.’’
The excerpt continues: “The flesh is weak. Dominique Strauss-Kahn saw a proposition. The situation amuses him. Rarely in his life has he refused a moment of pleasure. He does not resist the temptation to receive oral sex. The act is fast, very fast.’’
Diallo’s version of event differs wildly from those described in the book.
She has alleged that Strauss-Kahn attacked her when she arrived to clean his suite, forcing her to perform oral sex on him before she quickly left the hotel. Investigators found physical evidence, including bruises on her vagina and traces of semen in the room, but the criminal case against Strauss-Kahn was dismissed when prosecutors said they had lost faith in Diallo’s credibility.
The book’s excerpts do not contain any direct quotes from Strauss-Kahn, though author Taubmann said in an interview with Paris Match that he has met with the politician at least six times since the May 14 episode incident, and also had extensive e-mail and phone contact with him.
Taubmann, who has written a previous biography of Strauss-Kahn, said he also studied phone records and surveillance tapes from the hotel.
Strauss-Kahn’s Paris lawyer did not immediately respond to calls seeking confirmation that the politician did indeed collaborate with Taubmann on the book.
He doesn't kiss and tell?
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Also see: Strauss-Kahn Cleared
Still won't be president.
"Ex-official joins France’s presidential race" December 13, 2011|Associated Press
PARIS - Dominique de Villepin, a former French prime minister who gained international renown as his country’s spokesman against the war in Iraq, has shaken up the presidential campaign by announcing he will run as an independent.
The announcement Sunday night on French television is likely to complicate life for both the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande, and President Nicolas Sarkozy, who runs the Union for a Popular Movement party, under which Villepin served.
By positioning himself as a centrist, Villepin could siphon votes from both men. But in France the move was seen primarily as a finger in the eye of Sarkozy, because Villepin and Sarkozy - despite inhabiting the same conservative side of the political spectrum - are bitter rivals.
Villepin was acquitted in September of charges he took part in a smear campaign against Sarkozy. On Sunday, he criticized Sarkozy for not protecting France’s interests at a recent EU summit and for imposing several rounds of budget cuts.
With growth slowing and difficult budget cuts expected ahead, both Hollande and Sarkozy have tried to paint themselves as beyond partisanship - possibly because they fear that both established parties will be blamed for France’s high debt levels and poor economy....
Both parties should be blamed because they are both responsible.
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Related: The Buzz in France
The man who was:
"French ex-president guilty of corruption; Chirac, 79, given a suspended term in misuse of funds" December 16, 2011|By Steven Erlanger, New York Times
PARIS - Jacques Chirac, the former president of France, was convicted yesterday of embezzlement and misuse of public funds to illegally finance his political party using fake jobs when he was mayor of Paris.
Chirac, 79, who did not attend the trial because of reported health and memory problems, received a two-year suspended sentence from the judges.
While beloved by many as a grandfather figure, Chirac will inevitably see his reputation stained. He is the first former French head of state to be prosecuted, let alone convicted, since Marshal Philippe Petain, who collaborated with the Nazis and was found guilty of treason in 1945....
But the conviction was regarded by many as a victory for justice against France’s entrenched political elite....
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Related:
Furious Chirac threatens to cut short visit to Israel after clash with security forces http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/this-is-a-provocation-do-you-w... Chirac condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3275687,00.html Sarkozy is a lot better than his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who practiced undisguised contempt toward Israel. http://www.shmuley.com/news/details/obamas_secret_remarks_about_netany... Jacques Iraq aka Jacques Chirac: French Policy Against Ousting Saddam Hussein in 2003 http://digilander.libero.it/asdfghj2/dossier/060604s.htm )
Also see: Slow Saturday Special: French Up in Arms Over Weapons sales
