Sarkozy Walks Out Of 60 Minutes Interview: "If I Had Something To Say About [My Wife] I Would Not Do So Here"

Watch French President Sarkozy walk out of a 60 Minutes interview he called "stupid" and a "big mistake."

Read more about the interview below and on Huff Wires:

France's president abruptly ended a "60 Minutes" interview aimed at introducing him to U.S. audiences, dubbing it "stupid" and a "big mistake" and refusing to answer questions about his wife.

Before the CBS news show interview in Paris even began, Sarkozy called his press secretary "an imbecile" for arranging the session on a busy day.

Comments

[rogman]

These stupid idiots don't ask George Bush or Cheney difficult questions. Cowards. Good for you
Sarkozy

[Weirderyet]

Off topic, but why can we not post on the main thread?

[PixieThis]

Because trolls post hate messages about gays.

[Weirderyet]

That doesn't make sense. Why would they do that? This Rev McClurkin says he is no longer a homosexual. God delivered him from it.

[zull2]

Nothing against the French, but Sarkozy just keeps adding onto the notion that he's completely out of his mind. Principled, disciplined, no. He's just emotionally unstable. He knew what he was getting into by doing a story on US TV for 60 Minutes that was targeted at introducing him to the US. What, did he think they'd just ask him about his favorite types of tea for an hour?

[Old Writer]

"his favorite types of tea...?" Of course. Maybe after he politely turned down the subject of his wife, he might have expected to be asked about trivial concerns like Iraq, Iran, terrorism, emerging China, the falling dollar. Trivial things like that.
God, if only Clinton had had that kind of poise!

[doglove]

WTF does his wife or tea have to do with anything? Unstable, because he wouldn't dis' his wife to asswipe Lesli Stahl?

Maybe he should have asked her what it feels like to have had more facelifts than anyone in the world.

I doubt that he thought they would be asking him about tea and I believe he established his parameters ahead of time, re talking about his wife.

Americans sure are ugly. One of the best paid 'newscasters' in the world and all she can come up with is insisting he gossip about his wife.

"come on, there's a mystery"

I hope she gets fired. She was worn out decades ago.

[frenchstudent]

repeating myself here, but his personal life is of no consequence. "getting to know" a politician in France means getting to know his positions, not his marital or religious status. We don't elect politicians according to their favorite color.

[Avantdan]

Contrary to popular American belief, the French are not rude, they're principled and have a lot of pride for their culture. One that understands and impliments tolerance better than we ever have. In America we either have a false sense of patriotism or we're so cynical that we hate oursleves. And there are no principles in our unregulated capitalist society. Anything goes and we've proven that many times over.

[dhfsfc]

Actually, the French ARE rude. The "pride in their culture" you mention translates into "we're better than everyone else." I took my family to Paris this summer and my children, ages 14, 12 and 8, DESPISED the French. They know a superior, snarky attitude when they see it, and boy did they ever see it! I assure you none of them would ever go back willingly.

That said, there is no excuse for what Stahl did.

[Danny]

dh-- Actually, the French ARE better than anyone else. Your kids someday will realize this.

[ADVOCATE4ZPG]

The expectations of the American children were likely culturally-bound to wearisome, U.S. mores of music and materialism. Most Americans--especially its 'children'--know next to nothing (history, non-U.S. literature, language, math., phil., and even science!)except that which feeds their own narcissism.

[Boobaloo]

dhfsfc : I hate to tell you this but, the French are rude to you and your children because they hate us Americans. Just like 95% of the world.

[hope]

In the future American journalists should just cut to the chase and arrange to interview people's genitals directly.

[PixieThis]

Funny and truthful. I think you're still on a roll, hope :)

[Kontessa]

Sarkozy, Bush's new poodle is a bombastic demagogue.

If he took the time to do a little Googling about his own country even, he'drealize that France has one of the highest productivity rates in the world! He's no friend of France, he's a fervent neo-con who can't support American's invasion of the M.E. enough, but don't expect him to back up his bloviating with French troops.
He's no different than the far more mature, honest and dignified former President Jacques Chirac in reality, he is just kissing Bush's ring and Chirac was too honorable a man to stoop to that kind of sucking-up conduct.
Never mind that Chirac was correct to refuse to follow the Bush regime into a murderous invasion.
Sarko rants at the French people and tries to brainwash them into thinking they're doing something wrong, well, they're not.

[Shacked]

Your diatribe is typical of this blog, ignorance and hatred of anything American, take your sorry ass to some other country.

[lakat]

And your diatribe is typical of the non-thinking, non-knowing sheep who support this pathetic president and his cohorts. I agree with Kontessa that the French people have got it right and their president is exhorting them to adopt the American work ethic (which is bad for humans but good for elite business owners). They know how to balance their lives so that they enjoy themselves while they are maintaining their finances. Here, they want us to uber-consume until we are wage slaves. The USA is a great country but we are losing it, day by day and sheep like you are why it is happening. THANKS A LOT!

[Kontessa]

Right! When it's Rush or M. Savage or Glenn Beck or Ann or Laura or Michele or all Fox 24/7, or Matthews ... or, the Bushites, I could go on forever, it's OK and all-American to rant and spew hate-speech, isn't it?

I happen to LOVE this country and that's why I loathe the Bush dictatorship and its French wine dumping useful idiots like yourself and I am very fond of and have great respect for France too, and that is why I detest Sarkozy.

[Maryse]

Kontessa I agree with you

I don't really mind that Sarkozy got closer to America. What bother me is that he did it with Bush, whom we know is not going to be the next president.

It would have been much more sensible to get clser the potential next president (on holliday), but not a guy who is so low in the poll

[frenchstudent]

Actually Kontessa, I am afraid no country, even mine, is perfect.

Granted, our hourly productivity is the best in the world. However, as the children of two engeeners, I have to sadly report that part of that is the result of constant underreporting of the hours worked.

You see, once you reach middle management level in France, you stop being paid by the hour and start being paid by the week. owever much you work, the week still counts as 35-39h. In most companies, of course, you get to work much longer than that (I'll take the close exampe of my own mum, who works at least 60 hours a week and is paid as if she worked 37.

However, if you want to point to french success, please do so and talk about our healthcare and social security system.


Now as for Sarkozy, he has the advantage of making things move in France, even if he and I somewhat differ as to the direction to take. We have a big papy-boom retirement crisis coming, and he is doing what he can to lessen it. Mind you, I have yet to see an american politician acknowledge the equivalent crisis in the US and react to it.

As for the "back up his bloviating with French troops" part, as I said earlier, I believe it would be the political kiss of death if he tried to send troops in Iraq and/or Iran.

[Mykel]

Why can a Western nation like France have a Jewish president, but Israel will never have a Christian or Muslim president?

[pkafin]

There is nothing that says Israel's president must be Jewish.

[ADVOCATE4ZPG]

....so that when its hyperprolific, Arab minorities achieve a majority (almost all Islamic countries have egregiously high birth rates!), Israel could be headed by an ARAB or Druze?

....requires a suspension of belief....!

[pkafin]

"His grandfather, a Sephardi Jew by birth, was a convert to Catholicism, and Sarkozy was, accordingly, raised in the Catholic faith of his household. Nicolas Sarkozy, like his brothers, is a baptised and professing Catholic. Sarkozy also said recently that one of his role models was the late pope John Paul II."

Is this what you refer to as a "Jewish" president of France? Sounds Catholic to me.

The obsession that some folks have with Jews is beyond my comprehension.

Mykel, could you please explain it to me?

[Mykel]

His Jewishness should not be an issue, but given that he, and other non-practicing Jews like him, stand a good chance at instant Israeli citizenship and all the financial benefits provided by America that that entails, I expect Zionists to explain, then, why there is a need for a separate Jewish state at all when men like Sarkozy can make it to the top levels of power outside of Israel.

[Boobaloo]

Mykel: His Jewishness is not an issue, its his long history and ancestral connections to Zionism. He's a Zionist and he's destroying Frances good relationship with the Middle East systematically by threatening to attack Iran and protect Israel at the cost of the world.

[frenchstudent]

Is he jewish?

Never mind, do not answer that, it is not relevant.

[pkafin]

No, it shouldn't be relevant.

However, to folks on this posting, it seems to matter quite a bit. It matters enough to Mykel to ask why can "France can have a Jewish President..."

Fact is, he's not Jewish. Nor has ever claimed to be Jewish. He's a practicing Catholic born into that religion. He has many Jews in his ancestry, but from a spiritual perspective, he has no personal identification with the religion.

Some folks are just obsessed with Jews. I would love to know why. It always strikes me as so clearly irrational.

[groucho]

Good for him! This ridiculous emphasis the media puts on personal life is stupid. Talk about politics with the head of a country you stupid media shill

[ChiMan1]

Amerdiaspora, Wow relax! I bet you talk with spittle al la C Matthews coming out of yo moufth. Please tell me how your personal freedoms have been infringed? this means talking in specifics (foreign to Liberals).
Bush was composed unlike the Hyper Media Witch.
4 more years, Hillary will be the LEAD ZEPPLIN, HINDENBERG of the Demorat Party.
P.S. I'll bet your ticklish also. Regards!

[Danny]

Sarko is a smooth operator, working the game of demonizing and vilifying journalists, period. It was OK to hound Bill Clinton for years over a personal matter, the Monica affair. But for this crowd, it's now off-limits. I call it changing the rules in the middle of the game, and very unfair.

[gala1]

MOTHERS FOR ANSWERS
LET THEM EAT RATINGS

If Leslie Stahl had just played it cool instead of acting like she'd been trapped in a revolving door with a sulky toddler in a suit, she could have said just something like-"How hasty was my little Frenchman?" and left Sarkozy climbing his esprit de escalier.

It is after all, the French who prize wit above propriety.

And just why should any public person have to answer personal questions when approached by aliens, anyway?

Sh couldn't have been that disingenuous to not know that there was being rude to the French.
Now THAT'S quite a coup in itself.


gala

[BWonka]

Just because talking about other people's sex life gets you all hot and wet doesn't mean the rest of us need that stimulus.

[frenchstudent]

first, he was only demanding to be treated with the respect any politician deserves.

Second, do you know how much we did not care about Clinton's sex life? The only thought the whole hoopla inspired us was "wow, they are truly using stupid standards to evaluate their politicians". I mean, Chirac's predecessor Mitterand had an illegitimate daughter. She was found as she was preparing a masters in philosophy and his father was still in power. We collectively had a little laugh and patted "tonton" (Mitterrand) on the back to congratulate him for fooling us for so long. His ability to govern was never doubted because of this. So a blowjob, can you see how much we did not care?

[Weathermaker]

Is it lame and stupid to dip into a politician's private life? Yes, and for 99% of them I don't even want to imagine what kind of sex they're getting.

But when you're rubbing your family on everyone's face, and your campaign slogan is "hey, look at me, I f..k my wife", then expect to be asked about it when your wife dumps you.

[frenchstudent]

Actually his favorite soundbite was "work more to earn more". His wife played a role in his campaign, but less so than the wife of any American presidential candidate you'd care to name.

Personnaly I think he would have been elected even if he had divorced during the campaign.

[FrankAusTx]

I haven't read all the way through the comments, so maybe someone else has already pointed this out... Sarkozy did what Bush would have probably done. Only Bush would never have allowed himself to be interviewed by anyone who would ask a cocaine or National Guard or alcoholism question. Sarkozy obviously has more to learn about how to manage the press.

[bascombe]

a lesson to the american congress and senate.

DO NOT LET THE PRESS CONTROL YOU!!!!

Of course, it won't stop them from being cowed since they have no dignity.

[hydenorhare]

LaFeminazi (See profile | I'm a fan of LaFeminazi)
Vive la France!
posted 02:39 pm on 10/29/2007

Now, yes indeed.

Maybe Sarkozy was frightened by that cabbage leaf on Stahl's dome.

Whatever, it was good to see.

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

I'm no big fan of Sarkozy but I have to give him kudos here. It's kind of hard to blame 60 minutes for giving viewers what most Americans seem to want—gossip masquerading as news. If we keep this up we will be totally incapable of self government, if we aren't already.