US embassy cable - 05PARIS368

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR; IIP/RW; IIP/RNY (FRANK); BBG/VOA; IIP/WEU; 
AF/PA; EUR/WE (DEBORAH MENNUTI)/P/SP; D/C (MCCOO); EUR/PA 
(BERBENA); INR/P; INR/EUC; PM; OSC ISA FOR ILN; NEA; WHITE 
HOUSE FOR NSC/WEUROPE; DOC FOR ITA/EUR/FR AND PASS USTR/PA 
(ANN LUZZATO); USINCEUR FOR PAO; NATO/PA; MOSCOW/PA; ROME/PA; 
BRUSSELS/PA; USVIENNA FOR USDEL OSCE. 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPRC, KMDR, FR 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION REPORT - PRESIDENT BUSH INAUGURATION 
AND SECOND BUSH ADMINISTRATION 
PARIS - THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2005 
 
 
(A) SUBJECTS COVERED IN TODAY'S REPORT: 
 
PRESIDENT BUSH INAUGURATION AND SECOND BUSH ADMINISTRATION 
 
B) SUMMARY OF COVERAGE: 
 
THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BUSH IS ONE OF TODAY'S MAJOR 
FRONT PAGE AND EDITORIAL STORIES. WHILE SOME FRONT PAGES 
REMAIN NEUTRAL, "GEORGE W. BUSH, ACT II" (LE FIGARO); "BUSH'S 
CHALLENGES" (LES ECHOS); OTHERS TAKE A STAND: "BUSH'S SECOND 
TERM WILL BE MORE LIBERAL" (LA TRIBUNE); OTHERS STILL ARE MORE 
AGGRESSIVE: "WILL BUSH GO TO WAR AGAINST IRAN?" (FRANCE SOIR) 
AND "OFF TO A BAD START" (COMMUNIST L'HUMANITE) 
 
LE FIGARO'S EDITORIAL CONTENDS THAT "BUSH II WILL BE A 
CONTINUATION OF BUSH I" AND LIBERATION THAT "BUSH MAY SPEND 
HIS SECOND TERM TRYING TO FIND A WAY OUT OF IRAQ." FOR BRUNO 
FRAPPAT IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX "WE HAVE NO CHOICE, LIKE THE 
FIRST TIME AROUND, BUT TO WAIT AND HOPE." 
 
COMMENTING ON CONDOLEEZZA RICE'S REMARKS ABOUT THE "WONDERFUL 
OPPORTUNITY" PRESENTED BY THE TSUNAMI, JACQUES AMALRIC WRITES 
IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION: "HER BLUNDER COULD EITHER MAKE 
ONE CRINGE OR SMILE. BUT AT LEAST IT HAS THE ADVANTAGE OF 
BEING SINCERE IN AN OCEAN OF HYPOCRISY AND FALSE GOOD 
SENTIMENTS..." 
 
(C) SUPPORTING TEXT/BLOCK QUOTES: 
 
BUSH II 
 
"A TIME FOR DIPLOMACY" 
PIERRE ROUSSELIN IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LE FIGARO (01/20): "SINCE 
IN WASHINGTON IT IS `TIME FOR DIPLOMACY,' ON THIS SIDE OF THE 
ATLANTIC WE MUST FULLY SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY. IT WOULD INDEED 
BE A WASTE OF TIME TO EXPECT ANY ADDITIONAL SIGNAL FROM THE 
U.S. OTHER THAN THE ONE MADE BY CONDOLEEZZA RICE. WHY NOT TAKE 
PART IN THIS DESIRE FOR CHANGE? THIS IS WHAT FRANCE HAS BEEN 
TRYING TO DO LATELY: `REVITALIZING THE TRANSATLANTIC 
RELATIONSHIP' HAS BECOME A PRIORITY FOR THE ELYSEE. EVERYONE 
IS SHOWING ITS GOOD INTENTIONS. BUT LET'S NOT BE TOO NAIVE: 
PRESIDENT BUSH IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. IN HIS VIEW, HIS 
REELECTION IS PROOF THAT HIS CHOICES WERE THE RIGHT CHOICES, 
ALTHOUGH THEY ARE UNPOPULAR ABROAD. BUSH II WILL BE A 
CONTINUATION OF BUSH I, WITH AN EFFORT MADE IN THE DIRECTION 
OF PUBLIC RELATIONS. IF HE HAS CHANGED HIS TONE, IT IS BECAUSE 
HE IS TRYING TO FIND AN EXIT TO HIS MISADVENTURES IN IRAQ. OUR 
OFFICIALS UNDERSTAND IT WOULD BE UNSEEMLY TO REMIND HIM OF 
THIS. AND SO THEY SUPPORT THE ELECTIONS IN IRAQ, ALTHOUGH THEY 
DOUBT THEY WILL CHANGE ANYTHING. BUT THIS GESTURE HAS NOT GONE 
UNNOTICED IN WASHINGTON. NEVERTHELESS, SOME TOPICS OF 
DISSENSION WILL REMAIN, SUCH AS THE KYOTO PROTOCOL, THE 
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE OR MORE GENERALLY 
MULTILATERALISM. BUT BECAUSE SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGS STEM FROM 
A CHOICE OF WORDS, AND SINCE THE TIME FOR DIPLOMACY HAS COME, 
WHY NOT GO WITH THE FLOW AND FIND NEW WORDS TO SAY THE SAME 
THING. WE, LIKE THE U.S., NEED TO BE BETTER UNDERSTOOD." 
 
"IRAQ'S CONSEQUENCES" 
PATRICK SABATIER IN LEFT-OF-CENTER LIBERATION (01/20): 
"PRESIDENT BUSH HAS NO GUARANTEES THAT HE WILL BE ABLE TO 
IMPOSE HIS VERY CONSERVATIVE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRAM. 
IDEOLOGICAL INFLEXIBILITY, THE ARROGANCE OF POWER AND 
INCOMPETENCE IN THE EXECUTION COULD HAVE THE SAME EFFECTS IN 
DOMESTIC PROGRAMS AS IN IRAQ. BUSH HAS ACCUMULATED A NUMBER OF 
MISTAKES IN THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM. HE COULD SPEND HIS 
SECOND TERM TRYING TO FIND A WAY OUT OF IRAQ'S MOVING SANDS TO 
AVOID A DEFEAT CARRYING DAUNTING CONSEQUENCES FOR THE ENTIRE 
DEMOCRATIC WORLD." 
"BUSH, SECOND CHANCE" 
BRUNO FRAPPAT IN CATHOLIC LA CROIX (01/20): "SECOND TERM, 
SECOND CHANCE. AFTER 9/11, THERE WAS THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN 
AND THE `PREEMPTIVE' WAR IN IRAQ, BUT ALSO THE NEGLIGENCE OF 
FORGETTING ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST. AND OF COURSE THERE WAS THAT 
UNFORTUNATE WORD: `CRUSADE.' INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE A BUILDER 
OF PEACE, LIKE HIS PREDECESSOR, PRESIDENT BUSH BECAME `A 
PRESIDENT OF WAR.' IGNORING THE BOOMERANG EFFECT OF THE 
MASSIVE LIE ON WMD. BUSH IS ON FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS AND THE 
WORLD WITH HIM. HAS HE CHANGED? . WHAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT HE 
IS BEGINNING TO SEE THAT DEMOCRATIZING THE WORLD WITH WEAPONS 
IS NOT SO EASY. BUT HE HAS ALSO MADE A SIGNIFICANT GESTURE 
TOWARDS MUULTILATERLISM WITH THE TSUNAMI AND THE UN. EVEN IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THE CLOUDS ARE LIFTING. 
AND SO, LIKE FOUR YEARS AGO, AND BECAUSE WE HAVE NO CHOICE, 
LET'S WAIT AND HOPE." 
 
"BUSH II AND THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES" 
FRANCOISE CROUIGNEAU IN RIGHT-OF-CENTER LES ECHOS (01/20): 
"NO, FUNDAMENTALLY, PRESIDENT BUSH HAS NOT REALLY CHANGED. HIS 
RE-ELECTION HAS ELICITED A CONFUSING MIX OF CONCERN AND HOPE 
IN THE U.S. AND ABROAD. EVERYONE IS WONDERING WHETHER HE CAN 
DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES HE IS FACING. THIS IS PARTICULARLY 
TRUE ABOUT THE U.S. ECONOMY: FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN PRESIDENT 
BUSH ARRIVED THE COFFERS WERE FULL, TODAY THE BUDGET DEFICIT 
HAS HIT A RECORD AND THE DOLLAR IS FLAILING. HAVING 
EXPERIENCED FIRST HAND THE FLAWS OF UNILATERALISM IN IRAQ, 
WILL PRESIDENT BUSH BE MORE FORTHCOMING WITH HIS ALLIES? THIS 
IS FAR FROM CERTAIN. TYING NEW RELATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL 
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE UN, ALBEIT WITH RETICENCE, DOES NOT 
EXCLUDE TRYING TO IMPOSE REFORMS ON THEM. TALKING WITH THE 
EUROPEAN UNION ABOUT THE THORNY ISSUE OF BOEING AND AIRBUS IS 
IN NO WAY A SIGN OF WEAKNESS. AMERICA'S PRAGMATISM HAS ALWAYS 
BEEN DICTATED BY THE INTERESTS OF A NATION WHICH HAS BECOME A 
SUPERPOWER THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED. WE MUST WAIT AND SEE 
WHETHER THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES ARE HIS SIZE OR A BIT TOO 
BIG FOR HIM." WOLFF