The adventures of Hollande in America Part 2 : The French Loner.

First part found here : link.

Second day of French President François Hollande’s State visit to the US, yesterday and it ended on a big dinner at the White House. That much we already knew and heck, even had had the menu revealed to us. What was still unresolved was who if anyone would accompany François to the meal and reception. Would he dare go stag? Well yes, he did!

If you check the link below by the BBC, you’ll get all the nice pictures.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26148561

Again US Deputy Chief of Protocol Natalie Jones

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/bureau/180091.htm

was nice enough to fake the companion going up the steps although by the way she’s running, you just know she wants to stay clear of Frankie’s greedy groping hands! 😎 Since she is a Ms, I was a bit worried that the Administration wanted to get rid of her as the traditional sacrificial goat but no! And they also refrained from finding a fun date for him. Heck, had I been in charge, I think I’d have asked Anderson Cooper to play escort to Hollande. The former is durn pretty and the latter did vote homosexual marriage last year in his country? And less risky than Ellen De Generes whose sense of humor might have overpowered the poor François ( Hollande was chastised in the French media for numerous bad choices in humor : http://carolineclarkson.blogs.france24.com/article/2013/02/26/france-hollande-jokes-sarkozy-politics-farm-show-pope-humour-0 ). The Obamas found a great way to circumvent the shame François brought upon himself by ushering his partner out a couple weeks back! They seated him between them?

From above BBC link.

Excellent move, very diplomatic, incredibly thoughtful and all, except that …

I couldn’t help wonder upon viewing the above photo if the Obamas missed having a boy to complement their beautiful daughters to the point of adopting a short paunchy bespectacled white boy from afar?

Talkin’ about color, two remarks, good thing the Presidential couple is Black cause the contrast between the white attendance and the entertainment was a bit old school and the fact that Mary J. Blige was always mentioned right along with the menu was weird; good thing she’s way to balanced between curves and streamlined to take offense.

Anyhow, back to our single French guy, I loved Stephen Colbert’s beaming grin! ( BBC Link again ) Maybe it was just because he was glad that his fake SuperPAC finally got him in the White House ( well, not quite in as the event was hosted under a tent on the South Lawn, he he ) but I tend to believe it was a poke at Hollande : “yup, that’s my wife, she’s tall lean and just your ype and no, you can’t have her”? Tssk, trying to ruin détente and reconciliation with old allies, are we Stephen? 😎

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was another funny attendee. Not only is her name doubly French as Louis was the most common name of French kings through the century but Dreyfus was that of the last humongous French race scandal around a Jewish officer that was unjustly mistreated, but in addition, she came with her dad. See François? How could you not think of that? You could have brought your dad? Oh, yes sorry, he has a past as an extreme right wing sympathizer, not tops for the circumstances especially when one is socialist, right? ( pun intended )

The important thing remains that the President and First Lady’s move was incredibly tactful and allowed the evening to end on suave notes of renewed friendship between the 2 nations. That is important. France was the original ally of America, providing men and means for the Independence which proved necessary ( i.e. Yorktown, Newport or Savannah ) and left names as Lafayette, De Grasse & Rochambeau to add themselves to Montesquieu’s and let’s not forget that Washington the town was designed by a frenchman.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-pierre-lenfant-and-washington-dc-39487784/

There were differences at many periods starting right after the American Independence but it all coalesced back into honest relations in 1917. “The cry of Lafayette, here we are!” booming from the Marines he had inspired sort of closed the loop. Yes there was WWII which is a different affair and yes there was the 2003 dispute which was an entirely different affair. So much for the latter in fact that it might be what was overcome by this State visit. After all, Chirac was right and the Iraq affair more important even than the NSA one. With this show of friendship and forgiveness, the Americans can also close the consequences of the Bush Jr mishap, can’t they? 😉

And as Barack accepted François’ invitation to Normandy for this summer’s 70th anniversary of D-Day ( a given honestly ), Americans can get fresh images of the National Cemeteries where to this day, French citizens flower the graves of US soldiers regularly. The 2 nations have too much in common not to get over it and stay friends. And at least Hollande leaves with a date? If only for June 6th, a long time to wait for flighty François?

About which, there was one title in the press that puzzled me endless! This one :

America’s new BFF is France.

From here : http://world.time.com/2014/02/12/hollande-obama-bromance-heats-up/

BFF? Maybe I’m too modern but that can’t mean what I’m thinking? Best F… Friends? Really? I understand Hollande is a hot roaming celibate loose guy that went to the prom alone but isn’t that taking it a bit too far …

What? OH! Sorry! Forever. *blushes intensely* I think I got carried over by my subject.

Oh, well at least every one is happy again.

Tay.

P.S. And Hollande ended his visit with a jaunt to California’s Silicon Valley :

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-11/facebook-s-sandberg-wooed-by-hollande-seeking-start-up-buzz.html

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101409926

Interesting stuff in its own right if a bit serious? 😎