Posted on 07/01/2011 11:18:16 PM PDT by Cincinna
PARISThe release of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Friday from house arrest in New York represented a startling turnaround, sharpening the focus of political debate here on a central and potent issue: with the weakening of sexual assault charges against him, will he be able to resume a potentially stellar career that could lead to the presidency of his country?
The question divided opinion as much among Mr. Strauss-Kahns own Socialist Party followers as those on the right. Moments after his release, the party spokesman, Benoît Hamon, told reporters that the courts decision had come as an intense relief. Beyond that, the calculation likely to absorb party strategists revolved around the degree to which Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, had been damaged by weeks of disclosures and accusations that, even days ago, seemed to have drawn an abrupt and indelible line across his ambitions and his career.
Before Mr. Strauss-Kahns release from house arrest, two well-placed law enforcement officials in New York said that the case against him was on the verge of collapse because of major questions about the credibility of his accuser, a hotel housekeeper who said he had sexually assaulted her in a suite at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan in mid-May.
The surprising shift in his favor both fascinated and divided France on Friday, spurring calls from his supporters for his rehabilitation. France needs his competence, his talents and his international standing, said the former culture minister Jack Lang, a Socialist and close ally. Earlier, other Socialists expressed doubts.
Lets all stay calm, Gérard Le Gall, a Socialist and public opinion expert, said hours before a court in Manhattan changed the terms of Mr. Strauss-Kahns bail, freeing him on his own recognizance.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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DSK FOR PRESIDENT?
The French press makes it sound like the return if the prodigal son
And what happens the next time this known sexual predator and thrice accused rapist strikes again?
Do they have Rehab for sex addicts in France? Or will he and his wife, Anne Sinclair continue to frequent posh Swinger’s Clubs in Central Paris after he becomes President? Or perhaps bring the parties right into the Presidential Palace,
Da Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt!
It’s funny that the “charges” against a socialist were deemed to have come from a confused and lying woman. Who could have guessed.
Disgusting piece of garbage and more, that should have been eliminated along time ago. ....Of course nothing will change from his past history...he'll repeat this again because he can.
It's very disenheartening when we see politicians and international thugs use the world as a playground for their dastardly deeds...and equally so those who enable their behavior. They think they are above the law because they are above the law....at least this side of judgement day.
And let the Euroturds sort it out as best they can. The long-term record is not encouraging.
What's that coarse, populist slogan? Travail, famille, patrie
? My Froggish is so rusty! The century belongs to the the Americas and Asia!
How can she be confused and lying at the same time? Lying requires concentration and intellectual effort. That's why liars tend to get caught. But being an unsuccessful liar makes one a villain, not a victim.
Did I understand correctly that the woman’s credibility arose more from her immigration status/applications, associations, and illegal (drug related) activity than from the charges vs. DSK?
But if she’s that unbelievable and that conniving, her testimony is worthless and she certainly isn’t the innocent little muslim peasant she was initially painted by the MSM to be. She could find herself deported.
I would hope as to DSK, the revelations of the past few weeks, which were an open secret in any case, would end his political career, especially in the direction of president of France.
It’s a vast right wing conspiracy
Re the return of DSK:
He’s still an ass who jumped the maid he’d never seen as he strolled out of the shower at 3 in the morning. Whether she said yes for ulterior motives like pay or a setup to aid her asylum claim bears on his criminality, but the episode still shows his judgement to be of less than presidential caliber.
Or at least it should.
I think his political career went down the toilet, but what the hell , he is a millionaire , he can spend his money in retirement. Probably better off doing that anyway.
I don’t think there’s any question that he had a sordid affair with the maid. The question is whether she consented—at first, or with persuasion—and then decided it was a great opportunity to make a little money and confirm her immigration status.
It’s a bit suspicious that the authorities announced that their case against him had fallen apart almost immediately after someone else had been made head of the IMF, taking that job out of his reach.
Now we’ll see if he can find himself another important political post, perhaps President of France. The French have a habit of shrugging off sexual escapades, provided they don’t go too far. And in his favor, he can blame the evil Americans for trying to frame him. That will gain him a lot of French sympathy.
Two explanations for why prosecutors went after him are: 1) that they wanted him out of the IMF for some reason, but don’t care beyond that; 2) someone saw a chance of taking down a famous man and making his reputation that way. Prosecutors often jump on cases like this to make their way up the political ladder.
For now, I guess we should get out the popcorn and watch what happens next.
There are two parts to this story: the conduct of the police and the conduct of the prosecutor's office.
The police went out and arrested the guy at JFK Airport when he was getting ready to leave the country. They arrested him because someone (the maid) had come to them with a complaint about an alleged crime.
The prosecutor's office was probably very aggressive in pursuing this case because he never would have showed up for trial if he ever got back to France (I believe the U.S. has no extradition treaty with France).
It is entirely possible that things happened just as she said, but that her past is so checkered that she will make a terrible witness. Many cases go unprosecuted not because crimes didn’t happen, but because the evidence is too thin or the witnesses too unsympathetic.
Yes. Perhaps I should add that no famous prosecutor’s name has come forward yet, in the way that earlier prosecutors sometimes did in New York.
Maybe the prosecutor wanted to look into the case before jumping in with both feet, the way the Duke Lacrosse prosecutor foolishly did.
Or maybe it was all on the up and up. There is indeed a flight risk, and France does indeed often refuse to let criminals be extradited for trial. They almost certainly would have done so in this case.
Nice conspiracy theory, but he was leaving the IMF as soon as the French elections were underway, and his replacement at the IMF has a philosophy indistinguishable from his. There remains just a slight possibility that the police and the prosecutors were doing their jobs - as unexciting and unsensational as that might be.
Want more conspiracy theory? Do know where the new head of the IMF is actually from?
Yes, believe it or not, Christine Lagarde is from Chicago.
Cyrus Vance, Jr. Not famous enough?
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