Arnold G. York
Malibu drama, France, D.C., the Queen’s hat
New York billboards, featuring actress Debra Messing, are plastered all over New York City advertising the upcoming TV show “The Starter Wife,” the story of Malibu’s Gigi Levangie Grazer, subtitled, “Is there life after Brian Grazer?” Brian Grazer is one half of one of Hollywood’s most successful producing teams (his partner is Ron Howard) and a major figure in the film industry. Apparently, after their divorce, Gigi Grazer was sent to film-land Siberia, but unlike most who accept their banishment graciously, she wrote a book about it, which is now a major TV production. The new show debuts May 31. I’m guessing the show is going to have a great deal of people choosing sides, sort of divorce Malibu style.
France has a new president. Nicholas Sarkozy is the son of a Hungarian immigrant, not educated in one of the elite polytechniques that are the hallmark of French leadership. He’s a bit of a cowboy, both literally and figuratively, and a fan of Ernest Hemmingway and other things American. America, strangely enough, has a new ally in Europe.
Sarkozy says he intends to hit the ground running with an agenda directed at getting France out of its leisurely style of doing business and back to work. With Sarkozy’s reputation for bluntness and his recent history of being one tough cookie in crises, we can reasonably anticipate a very quick moment of truth in France. That usually means youth riots, major union strikes and immigrants running amok, and a battle royal to see who is going to really be running France. I’m guessing that this summer is not going to be a good time to be visiting Paris.
There was another totally remarkable think about the French election. Sarkozy, the conservative, beat Segolene Royal, the socialist, with 53.1 percent of the vote, compared to her 46.9 percent, which was reasonably handy for a presidential race.
You can tell that we’re in the last two years of the presidential term because all of sudden the gutless wonders that never spoke up when it was risky have suddenly decided that the time has come to criticize old “W” and his administration. They want to explain to us that they feared he was stepping over the precipice and that they really tried to warn him in private but he just wouldn’t listen. Now, I’m no great fan of “W,” whose history, I suspect, is going to be assigned to the dustbin of American presidential failures, but perhaps if some of those guys (that means both guys and gals) around him had been less of a cheering section and instead gave him the advice that every president needs, he might not have made some of the obvious mistakes.
The pack is now turning on his appointees, like Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank, who did nothing more than try to get his girlfriend a good job, and, incidentally, appears to have alienated every single human being that works at or with the bank and in the international establishment. Now Wolfowitz, having been one of the principal architects of the Iraq war, was never too popular to begin with in the international community, but he had the president’s ear, which in international politics is a biggie. However, most have now concluded that “W’s” ear is made out of tin, so Wolfowitz has become very expendable.
Lastly, Washington D.C. was atwitter with the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, who has conducted herself with great royal aplomb and dignity. I never could understand why we, a republic, go so gaga over royalty, but clearly we just love royalty, as long as they go home when the visit is over. I really hesitate to be the one to be even slightly critical, but I can’t help but wonder who is it that designs that woman’s hats? Whoever it is should be locked in the Tower of London, permanently, and never be allowed to pick up a needle and thread again.