Sarkozy wins

Sarkozy's win should be good for France. BBC:

Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy has won the hotly-contested French presidential election, according to early results.

The final count gave Mr Sarkozy 53.06%, compared with 46.94% for socialist Segolene Royal, with turnout at 85%.

Mr Sarkozy, 52, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, takes over from the 74-year-old Jacques Chirac.

Right on cue, leftists turned violent. Lefties (socialists, commies, liberals, cowards) are the same everywhere -- they're sore losers. As near as anyone can tell, the "youths" who are burning cars and attacking Paris police are protesting the eminent loss of their medieval economy. News.com.au:

RIOT police fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters gathered in central Paris today to demonstrate against the presidential election victory of right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy.

The clashes took place on the Place de la Bastille where about 5000 supporters of the defeated Socialist candidate Segolene Royal had gone to await the election results, an AFP journalist said.

Up to 300 rioters, some of whom were masked, made running attacks on riot police who took up positions at the entrance to boulevards leading onto the square.

France passed one test by choosing a president who stands for modernity. The next test will be whether they arrest the criminals who are rioting, or open a line of cowardly dialog.

Sarkozy's main problem will mirror Bush's: his country's press is hardline left, just like ours. So, regardless of what he does, the press will use gentle platitudes to make him appear as the devil incarnate.