President Sarkozy of France recently addressed the U.S. Congress in a speech designed to thaw out the chill that had settled into Franco-American relations. 

He began by gushing about America’s past: 

Here, both the humblest and most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That’s what constitutes the moral value of America. America did not teach men the idea of freedom; she taught them how to practice it. And she fought for this freedom whenever she felt it to be threatened somewhere in the world. It was by watching America grow that men and women understood that freedom was possible.

What made America great was her ability to transform her own dream into hope for all mankind.

After working his way through some of the high points of American history, he gushed some more:

My generation shared all the American dreams. Our imaginations were fueled by the winning of the West and Hollywood. By Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Hemingway. By John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth. And by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, fulfilling mankind’s oldest dream.

Is it a great speech?  Almost certainly not.  It’s too obviously placatory in nature to be truly persuasive.  But I guess it did the job.  The Congress was buzzing about it afterwards.  And they all trooped out with smiles on their faces. 

In any case, the speech is a textbook example of how to get on your audience’s good side when you expect some antagonism may exist.  The speech is 3 parts flattery, 1 part gentle hints about some disagreements that won’t go away.  And all of those come near the end.  By then, the Congress has presumably been cosseted into aquiescence, or at least quiescence. 

Rita Hayworth?  No disrespect to the actress, but come on.  Why is Sarkozy trying so hard?  The speech is something of a grovel.  In a way, it’s disappointing.  I thought the French were too proud to grovel.  Maybe this is what the French have meant recently when they’ve said Sarkozy is not very French.