DSK unravels European air of tolerance and sophistication as cover for violent, dehumanizing, political class-Time

"The pattern of French political behavior — in which class, rank and gender trump all — is long established."...

5/18/11, "Smoke and Fire: Why France Was Silent About Strauss-Kahn's Womanizing," Time.com, Bruce Crumley/Paris

"The case in New York City reflects another dimension of the problem in France. "If I try transposing the situation in New York on Sunday to France, I just can't do it," says Diallo Rokhaya Diallo, president of Les Indivisibles, an

• association that promotes diversity in France.

"Not only because the woman is black and apparently an immigrant. But also because she's a housekeeper. Perhaps even more than her race, her station in society would probably prevent authorities [in France] from taking her accusations against a rich and powerful man seriously. Racism is on the rise here again, but

• class discrimination has never gone away."

The pattern of French political behavior — in which class, rank and gender trump all — is long established. It probably had its archetypal manifestation during an off-the-record chat between then President François Mitterrand and a group of journalists. The President was widely known to have had a daughter out of wedlock, a fact that was never published or mentioned in the media. But one journalist had the temerity to bring it up. Mitterrand fixed the daring journalist in the eye, leaned across the table toward him, and mockingly replied, "Yes, I have a [bastard] daughter. Et, alors?!" The message was clear: Yeah, and it's none of your business, so keep your mouth shut and paper clear of it until I'm ready to inform the public, if you know what's good for you. There was no further mention of the situation until Mitterrand's funeral, when his mistress and the daughter appeared as chief mourners with his widow.

And so it was that during an April 28 Strauss-Kahn meeting with journalists from the daily Libération. Under informal conditions, the IMF boss let his hair down about his looming presidential bid and the points that his opponents would attack and carp on in the hopes of sinking his run for the Elysee. "Money, women and my Jewishness," Strauss-Kahn said, looking around to see which topic elicited the biggest response. He repeated one, echoing Mitterrand. "Yes, I love women. Et, alors?!" But he forgot one thing. He was not President yet."

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In America this is known as 'the Chicago way.' ed.

via Instapundit