Oct. 28, 2007
Sarko The American
Lesley Stahl Interviews France's New Leader
-
Play CBS Video Video Sarko L'Americain "Sarko the American" is what the French are calling their new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been siding with the U.S. on policy. Lesley Stahl profiles the energetic, sometimes volatile leader.
-
Video 'Sarko The American' Walks Out "Sarko the American" is what the French are calling their new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been siding with the U.S. on policy. Lesley Stahl profiles the energetic and sometimes volatile leader, as you will see in this clip.
-
-
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, center. (CBS)
-
French President Sarkozy leaves his interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes when she asks him about his wife, Cecilia, with whom he was going through a divorce at the time. The interview, conducted at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Oct. 5, was broadcast Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, on CBS. (CBS)
-
-
Fast Facts France Learn about the people, economy and history.
"No. No. This is stupid. He is stupid. It is a big mistake," Sarkozy remarked.
"But Sir, this is what the public, the American people are gonna see," Stahl commented.
"Okay…I don’t have the time. I have a big job to do, I have a schedule," he said through a translator. "Very busy. Very busy," he added in English.
After that exchange, the interview got underway.
"You have said 'I have always had to fight throughout my life. Nothing ever came easily for me. Nobody ever opened any doors. I got used that.' Now, was that the key to Monsieur Sarkozy?" Stahl asked.
"That's not the key just for me. It's the key for anybody's life. You only get what you're prepared to struggle for. I was from this middle-class family. I had no connections, nobody in my family had ever been in politics. I didn't simply become head of state by chance. I became it because I wanted to, and I paid the price for it," Sarkozy replied.
"You have told the story of your father telling you that because you didn't have a French name, that you were never going to make it in France. You had to go to the United States to become successful," Stahl remarked.
"Well, he was proven wrong," Sarkozy said. "That’s what he thought. That a name like Sarkozy was a handicap. That’s the reason why I like the United States. You can have a name like Schwarzenegger and be governor of California. You can be called Madeleine Albright and be secretary of state. You can be called Colin Powell or Condi Rice, and succeed. That's what a free country is, that’s a democratic country. It's a country that gives a chance to each and every one of its children."
Determined to prove his Hungarian father wrong, Sarkozy went into politics. Even at 23, he was delivering passionate speeches against socialist policies.
Five years later, he was the mayor of a wealthy Paris suburb.
He became a national figure in 1993, when he walked into a school where a suicide bomber was holding children hostage. He talked the man into releasing them, one at a time, and carried some of them out himself. The incident established Sarkozy's reputation for courage and risk-taking.
As interior minister in 2005, he was in charge of the police during three weeks of rioting in immigrant neighborhoods all around the country. It was the worst unrest France had seen in decades. It's interesting that as the son of a foreigner Sarkozy carried out a tough law-and-order campaign against immigrants. His controversial vow to get rid of the quote "scum" may have helped him politically in his campaign for president. He ran on a platform of restoring order and reforming the country’s expensive cradle-to-grave welfare system. And promote a new work ethic.
Sarkozy says France "unfortunately" has a 35-hour work weeks, something he is trying to expand. "We are going to change things. We are going to change France. We are going to modernize France," he says.
He pumps up his coalition in the parliament by saying, "encouraging work is our priority." He says, "It is because France is not working hard enough that our society is in bad shape."
It's a message Sarkozy takes on the road several times a week, with trips like a recent one to Dijon. At a factory, he preached his gospel of "work more, earn more," and also listened to people tell him their problems.
At the end of his visit, he worked the crowds, revving up support for undoing the law that forbids anyone in France from working more than 35 hours a week.
"If you want to live holding your head high, you have to live from what you earn and not off public assistance," Sarkozy told Stahl on his plane.
"People have tried to reform in the past. They’ve (also) had strikes. Why do you think you can overcome this when people haven’t been able to in the past?" Stahl asked.
"I am not afraid," Sarkozy said.
"But what if the strikes paralyze the city? Or paralyze the country?" Stahl asked.
"If there are strikes, I will tell the French people 'Look, it’s up to you. Do we stop or do we go on?' I say we go on," he said.
Produced By Harry Radliffe and Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Segments
Scroll Left Scroll Right
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 19
- next
See all 380 CommentsIn France we won''t do a report like that and that''s a good thing do see other points of view. But this report is not exhaustive. It doesn''t go deep. And that''s a problem. We can''t say a report, it''s a synthetic biography. That''s wird for a video magazine which is say as an investigation magazine ...
In France the last scene with the rude Interview has make a polemic but i think there is nothing to say about that. It''s just a polemic create by the media. It''s overmediatisaton. It''s just boring. We don''t talk about the real thing and that''s the problem ...
In France we won''t do a report like that and that''s a good thing do see other points of view. But this report is not exhaustive. It doesn''t go deep. And that''s a problem. We can''t say a report, it''s a synthetic biography. That''s wird for a video magazine which is say as an investigation magazine ...
In France the last scene with the rude Interview has make a polemic but i think there is nothing to say about that. It''s just a polemic create by the media. It''s overmediatisaton. It''s just boring. We don''t talk about the real thing and that''s the problem ...
I haven''t seen ANY French paper praising Leslie Stahl anywhere! Is this a joke? They were in fact very matter-of-fact and said that Mr. Sarkozy lost his patience after Leslie Stahl asked him impertinent questions. There was no judgment, just facts. And on LCI.fr, they remind us that a French journalist had previously asked him a similar question and that he had reacted in a similar manner.
American journalists daring to put questions is right but French papers showing admiration to Lesley Stahl is a pure invention. Which papers? Did not find any? Do we live in the same country?
"American journalists dare to put questions."
No American can understand how stifled matters are in France. A place where a spade is never ever a spade.
I will not try and convince you as it is very clear that we have different views. I just want to reply to what you wrote:
It is true that N. Sarkozy was a senior Minister under J. Chirac but as such, he didn''t have the ability to make choices outside of his jurisdiction.
I think he is a visionary because he has realized that we have made a big mistake, in France, over the last 25 years, by putting ideology before pragmatism. Don''t you agree that having a socialist government nationalize companies followed by a conservative government re-privatizing them and so on is ludicrous and has dire consequences on our economy? We need to do things differently and I think this is what the new President wants to do.
Also, I never compared Sarkozy to de Gaulle. I only said that I thought he would be the best president we have had since de Gaulle. And I agree that de Gaulle could have achieved nothing without the tremendous sacrifices made by our Allies.
Lastly, you may think what you want regarding the outcome of the last French Presidential elections - we are in a democracy - but you cannot deny the fact that the people has spoken very clearly and unequivocally for Nicolas Sarkozy. He has a clear mandate to carry out his program. Time will tell whether he is up to the job. Right now, it is far too early to draw pessimistic conclusions.
Noisett I think I won''t convince you as you won''t convince me either. Leftists (including Chirac who led a socialist policy) were in power for decades (Mitterand, Jospin, Chirac...). They all lost. This is why Sarkozy who is perceived as a pragmatic, non-ideological politician was elected 6 months ago.
Sarkozy was not free at all as interior minister in Chirac''s government. He had opposite views on many major matters (including on foreing policy and relationship with the US). Today 56% of the French (according to last poll - October the 30th) are still trusting Sarkozy though he is reforming the country in depth. This is far from being common.
As for social (ethnic) mobility, I think the USA are far more advanced than France.
Just tell me how many black presenters you have on French TV? only 1 appointed as substitute 8 march 1986 under pressure of Jack Chirac!!! How many arabs: none
- How many minister of Arab or Black origin under former governments (maybe 1 and from overseas French territories!)
This is why Sarkozy who appointed Blacks and an Arab justice minister! was citing the US as a model (talking about Rice and Powell). Sarkozy is pragmatic to such an extent he surrounded himself with some socialists only because they were capable he said.
No doubt Sarkozy will succeed.
The parallel with the American success style and the Nicolas Sarkozy''s acts as a pro-America addict''was well developped.
By the way, at the end of the show, we found that positive attitudes were mostly shown. That said, for American people, the president can seem more close to them. But for some French people, the show would seemed so unreal and a misunderstanding portrait.
Finally, on the last question (which gave born to the famous question on the rumor on his wife), I found the president''s behavior ''justify'' and not that dramatical , without forgetting that he kept his self-control and just ... left.
If we go back to the interview on the plane, Sarkozy refers to the American dream. I think his expose shows how little he knows about the country he claims to admire. It is ludicrous to say that the US is a place where anyone is given a chance to climb up the social ladder. If you''re born poor and from an ehtnic minority, chances are you won''t. It is idealistic to think any country has the best system to promote social mobility but the USA are certainly not a role model!
On the 35-hour week, Stahl wrongly stated that French people were banned from working more. Sarkozy jumped on the bandwagon and again exposed his simplistic views WITHOUT correcting what she''d said. I don''t think this shows great intellectual integrity.
Sarkozy was a senior member of the government for a number of years prior to his election. I didn''t see the visionary genius you''re talking about!
Finally, your reference to Charles de Gaulle is ludicrous. Aside from being hailed as a hero for liberating France (well, with a little help from the US and Britain thankyouverymuch), I challenge you to name any significant reform he conducted.
None, exactly.
Ms Stahl''s interviews were rather poor, but they also show very clearly that Nicolas Sarkozy does not have the poise and calibre of a statesman. Shame that the French people didn''t realise that before May,6.
I completely agree with you! I think that our new President will be the best we have ever had since Charles de Gaulle. I am also convinced that he is willing to jeopardize his reelection if it means that he is able to reform the country. This is unprecedented and it shows that he is a true Statesman.
I don''t really reproach Mrs. Stahl for asking him personal questions, I am just disappointed that firstly, she didn''t show him the respect he deserves as a head of state, by grimacing to him to suggest he should calm down and secondly, she didn''t use this wonderful opportunity to find out what Mr. Sarkozy''s vision and objectives are for the next five years. She has wasted a great opportunity to get the American people to know him and what he stands for. He doesn''t fit easily in any category. He is a visionary. Unfortunately, now, the only thing they will remember about him is that he has a quick temper. I agree with some of you who wrote that she belongs at Entertainment Tonight, not at 60 Minutes.
If you google ''Sarkozy l''amiricain'' you will find ten thousands of articles in French on the web.
As far as I am concerned and for many French people at least the majority - whatever you may hear here and there - Sarkozy rocks because he is a hard working guy (somewhat workalcoolic), dynamic, smart and willing to improve things.
I really think Sarkozy will be the best French president ever.
As for the journalist I don''t put the blame on her (but may be she was wrong to insist) and I can''t see anything wrong about Sarkozy (as he left very politely).
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
... - 19
- next
See all 380 Comments