I'm encouraged by the recent voting pattern in Europe, though. The German leftist weenie, Schroeder, might very well be tossed out in September. The Danes voted against replacing their currency with the Euro. The Italians are moving to the right. It's somewhat encouraging.
The Israelis have no intention of assaulting Arafat's compound. This EU warning is silly, both in its timing and content. The only question is when Israel will let him out.
Presumably it will be after the standoff at the church has ended and when Arafat turns over the five terrorists he's sheltering. A couple more weeks, perhaps.
France will hold the runoff round of the election between the top two candidates on May 5.
CANDIDATE - PARTY - %
Jacques Chirac - Rally for the Republic 20.47
Jean-Marie Le Pen - National Front 16.80
Lionel Jospin - Socialist Party 14.75
Jean Saint-Josse - Hunting, Fishing, Nature, Tradition 7.28
Francois Bayrou - Centrist 6.66
Arlette Laguiller - Workers' Struggle 5.85
Olivier Besancenot - Revolutionary Communist League 4.58
Noel Mamere - Greens 4.57
Jean-Pierre Chevenement - Republican Pole 4.53
Alain Madelin - Liberal Democracy 3.73
Robert Hue - Communist Party 3.08
Bruno Megret - National Republican Movement 2.36
Corinne Lepage - independent ecologist 1.79
Christiane Taubira - Radical Left Party 1.73
Christine Boutin - independent centrist 1.31
Daniel Gluckstein - Workers' Party 0.52
Registered electorate 9,382,669
Abstentions 24.61 percent
All the Lefties voted against each other, and a far-rightie is up against Chirac for the whole enchilada.