[Lancey Howard]

No surprise.
Like everywhere, people respect a leader who stands up for his convictions, especially if doing so appears to go against the general public sentiment (at least, as represented by the press).

Chirac is now toast because comparisons with Blair will be inevitable, and Chirac will rightly come off as a weak, opportunistic populist who goes whichever way the wind blows.

[JennysCool]

a weak, opportunistic populist who goes whichever way the wind blows.

We used to have one of those over here as I recall.