La Fin Du Boycott de France

France, at last, appears to be returning to its senses. The Fifth Republic has chosen the son of a Hungarian immigrant to be its new President. Nicolas Sarkozy soundly defeated the Socialist candidate Segolene Royal, whose supporters promptly began rioting in the streets of Paris when they heard the news.

The election of Sarkozy is welcome news indeed, as it means that the nation of France has decided to show that it still has some backbone and has the will and the capacity to act civilized. In one week's time Jacques "The Weasel" Chirac will be relegated to the dustbin of history, and a new era of trans-atlantic cooperation will dawn for the people of France and the United States of America. "Sarko" is a progressive, forward-looking leader who promises fiscal responsibility and good old-fashioned conservative values -- something that has been conspicuously absent from the European continent. He pledges to renew the ties of friendship with the USA. While acknowledging that there will naturally be some disagreements among friends, there will be a reconciliation between the two societies. The road to rapprochement will not be easy. Mr. Sarkozy still has another election to face -- one that will decide the makeup of France's legislative body. It is not quite safe to count "the chickens before they hatch," but given the convincing victory attained by Nicolas Sarkozy, it is likely that the electorate will give him the mandate he needs to bring France back from the brink, and back to the path of righteousness.

It is high time to end the boycott of France, and to give Sarkozy and America's erstwhile enemies the chance to show that they are indeed friends again.

I will personally buy a bottle of Hennessey VSOP to toast Mr. Sarkozy into office on May 16th. French wines, while inferior to those found in my native New York state, will once again be welcome at my table. I may even indulge with some French Champagne on a night out (though I have yet to find one that delivers taste-for-value in the way that, say, Korbel can.) Heck, even French's mustard and French Vanilla Ice Cream can now safely be consumed. I will be sad to see "Freedom" Fries disappear from the menus, but such is the price we pay for détente.