[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Theobald

That's what I think as well, and that's why I have still some hope for France. That's the first time since de Gaulle that a right-wing president is elected with such a popular support : Pompidou won because he was de Gaulle's Prime Minister, Giscard was a centrist, Chirac had no real popular support. Hell, just think of the fact that 20 million Frenchmen voted for someone who said that immigrant suburbs should be cleaned out with a Karcher, for someone whose most of the political program is taken from Le Pen's one !
Sarkozy has politically killed the Front National, but he has propagated its ideas and values among the French society far beyond the traditional nationalist area of influence. He has rehabilitated ideas of work, authority, national pride, and thus partially destroyed the "Mai 68/1981" spirit that destroyed France from the inside. He prepares the ground for a nationalist take-over.

I think Theobald is right. Sarkozy said what was his position and France said yes to it. No matter what comes next the election is a watershed in politics.