Rfi

If you’ve ever wondered why we bother mentioning the political leanings of the French dailies . . . “centrist Le Monde, left-leaning Libération, right-wing Le Figaro, and so on” . . . you just have to look at how Le Monde and Le Figaro cover the same story this morning.

Le Figaro’s main headline reads, “Socialist Party devastated by Strauss-Kahn scandal.”

Le Monde’s more sober version reads, “Socialist Party prepares for life after Strauss-Kahn.”

There are two elements to the question, since the disgraced Socialist politician was not only a potential French presidential candidate, he is also director general of the International Monetary Fund, neither task particularly easy for a man who is stuck in a prison cell on New York’s Rikers Island, awaiting trial on charges of sexual misconduct.

Some Socialists are probably delighted that Strauss-Kahn is off the political horizon.