The Associated Press reports France's presidential election polling suggests that President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost the election to Socialist Francois Hollande.
Hollande has promised more government spending and higher taxes — including a 75-percent income tax on the rich — and wants to re-negotiate a European treaty on trimming budgets to avoid more debt crises of the kind facing Greece. That would complicate relations with Germany's Angela Merkel, who championed the treaty alongside Sarkozy.
With a last name like Duclos, I feel I can get away with saying, "nobody ever claimed the French were overly smart." (Unless they live in France)
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