Head of IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrested in New York

MacGuffin

MacGuffin

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I'm surprised there isn't a topic on that yet. This is more than just a sex affair.

Sex Charges Against IMF Chief

France Aghast at Arrest of Socialist Star Strauss-Kahn


By Stefan Simons in Paris

The charges against IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn have triggered a political earthquake in France, where he was seen as the best hope of the Socialist opposition to oust President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 election. It's good news for Sarkozy, whose most dangerous rival has gone.

Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right Front National, threw the first stone. Reports that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, known as DSK in France, had been charged with a "criminal sexual act, attempted rape and unlawful imprisonment" had only just flashed up on TV screens when she pounced on the news to attack her political rival.

"The allegations by the American justice are serious enough to discredit his candidacy for the presidential election," said Le Pen, a trained lawyer. "Among the political class in Paris and among journalists, rumors about DSK have been circulating for years," she said. "His pathological attitude towards women is an open secret."

The accusations against the 62-year-old star of France's Socialist opposition, who regularly beat President Nicolas Sarkozy in opinion polls, hasn't just thrown the International Monetary Fund into turmoil, but his party as well.

The IMF chief wasn't without detractors in the traditional left wing of the party, where class war romantics said his job made him a symbol of globalization and financial capital rather than a convincing representative of the working population. But among party pragmatists and in the French middle class, he was seen as unifying figure, not least because of his wealth of government experience. With his solid expertise, the Socialist embodied the same reassuring calm that Francois Mitterrand, the last Socialist president of France, once did.

'This is a Humiliation For the Whole of France'

But it's all over now. The presidential palace has so far declined to comment on the matter but politicians from the ruling conservative UMP party have struggled to contain their delight at the lost honor of DSK. The scandal plays into Sarkozy's hands. Bernard Debr?, a lawmaker for the UMP, complained that Strauss-Kahn's arrest hadn't just hurt the Socialist party but the entire French nation. "This is a humiliation for the whole of France," he said. "I am truly appalled."

The French are traditionally tolerant when it comes to the private lives of their political elite. The supposed escapades of President Jacques Chirac were an open secret in Paris, and Mitterrand himself led the life of a bigamist while in office. The public turned a blind eye to DSK's affair with an IMF staff member in 2008.

The news that their top man had been accused of attacking a 32-year-old maid in the Sofitel was met in Socialist party headquarters with deep dismay. "The news that has reached us from New York is like a thunderbolt," said PS leader Martine Aubry. "Like everyone else, I am completely surprised and ask everyone to wait for the reality as determined by the facts."

In a comment directed to her party allies, she warned, "I ask all Socialists to remain unified and responsible."

That won't be easy. Strauss-Kahn supporters were, to be sure, quick to come to his defense with comments such as "that's not like him," or "everything must be investigated." Or they simply said nothing at all. But even as the party is warning against passing premature judgement, Strauss-Kahn's challengers from within the party suddenly see an opportunity.

A New Socialist Candidate?

Aubry leads the list. She had agreed not to challenge Strauss-Kahn were he to make a run for the French presidency. Now, though, she may have her chance to throw her name into the ring after all. Francois Hollande, party leader prior to Aubry, may also make a move. His former partner S?gol?ne Royal, who lost the last presidential elections in 2007 to Nicolas Sarkozy, may also be interested.

It is impossible to tell which of them might be able to secure the support of those who had thus far backed Strauss-Kahn. Indeed, the only sure thing at the moment is that Strauss-Kahn, the leader in public opinion polls, is finished. Those interested in challenging Sarkozy must register their intentions between June 28 and July 9. The Socialists are set to choose their candidate in an election in October.

It is a timeline that works to Strauss-Kahn's disadvantage. Even if he is declared innocent of all the accusations that have been made against him, his run for the presidency is finished, say St?phane Roz?s, a political scientist at the Sorbonne. "The US judiciary," he said, "does not work according to the schedule of the French Socialists."

Source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,762741,00.html
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"'This is a Humiliation For the Whole of France'" no it is not, this is what we expect from a Frenchman. No surprise what so ever.
 
... this an interesting topic, but (unless some evidence for a "plot" against DSK surfaces) I don?t see any woth discissing this seriously. At the moment, this is merely yellow-pages stuff with not much more than wild speculations. He?s accused of a serious crime. Justice must be served. If he?s declared innocent, then let?s talk about this some more. If not, let him rot in prision ...
 
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Innocent or not, this has political implications on Europe nevertheless. He probably would have been the next French president and being arrestet for a sex crime is the end of that one way or the other.
 
MacGuffin said:
Innocent or not, this has political implications on Europe nevertheless. He probably would have been the next French president and being arrestet for a sex crime is the end of that one way or the other.
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yeah, but what is there to be discussed? He won?t be french president now ... the socialists won?t nominate him. Fact. The rest is speculation ...

(sry, I?m just not in the mood for this kind of stuff today where you talk about obvious stuff to no end)
 
Recommendation - he will attract support throught this - the French are a very odd people when it comes to Politics - see former French president Francois Mitterrand and love child - now 30 years of age.
 
Interrobang said:
... this an interesting topic, but (unless some evidence for a "plot" against DSK surfaces) I don?t see any woth discissing this seriously.
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How long did we talk about Julian Assange? :p
 
Cobol74 said:
Recommendation - he will attract support throught this - the French are a very odd people when it comes to Politics - see former French president Francois Mitterrand and love child - now 30 years of age.
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I think even the French draw a line between cheating and beating; the papers say that Strauss-Kahn has a history of rough treatment of women, so this may not be the conspiracy that seemed possible at first glance.
 
Seems like the case will hinge on tearing down the positive ID the victim made against him in a lineup.
 
Labcoatguy said:
I think even the French draw a line between cheating and beating; the papers say that Strauss-Kahn has a history of rough treatment of women, so this may not be the conspiracy that seemed possible at first glance.
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Yes may be you are correct thinking about it - another lady has made allegations too.
 
Cobol74 said:
Yes may be you are correct thinking about it - another lady has made allegations too.
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There was a range of comments in the media reported today. He looks old school and maybe doesn't know how to interact with a woman thirty years younger than himself.

Ends any thoughts of running for the Presidency vs. Sarkozy, before it even began and may mess up the ongoing and latest re-bailing of the eurozone.
 
I'm just trying to figure out how a Socialist party leader is running the IMF. :p

Like everyone else has said, whether or not he's found guilty it's going to be the end of his presidential hopes. At least in the short-term.
 
tigger said:
Like everyone else has said, whether or not he's found guilty it's going to be the end of his presidential hopes. At least in the short-term.
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Yes. It also doesn't help, that in the U.S. judiciary system it is a habit to publically humiliate an accused, no matter, if he's guilty or not. It's disturbing, how quickly the man's dignity was taken from him.

Especially sexual offenses are an absolute killer. Innocent until proven guilty? A nice dream. Just look at the headlines over there.

That's the bitch of it: Even if DSK is innocent (I'm not saying he is), he will be subject to a severe punishment. There won't be an "Oh, you're innocent. Everying okay then. Here, we kept your chair warm in your office for you. Wanna resume with your run for presidency now?"

Won't happen. That man's career is finished, one way or the other. If I was cynical, I'd say that the chances of his life going back to normal were higher, if he'd be accused of murder.

We have a similar case in Germany at the moment, where a popular weather man is accused of rape by an ex-girlfriend. Chances are high, that she's made the whole thing up but his reputation and career are already finished, because in such a trial every stone of your private life will be turned upside down to look, what's underneath. Your private life will be exposed and x-rayed, with even the most intimate stuff making it into the tabloids.

I strongly believe that this is something our societies have to work on: Keeping up the presumption of innocence, no matter what. Maybe public bias or prejudice in such cases should be made an offense themselves, which can be severely punished, and maybe installing strict rules for the media, I don't know.

Let the punishment for the defendant start, after he is found guilty. Not before.
 
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Quick correction - it is not the judicial system that humiliates the accused, but our press. It is especially notable when the press gets caught out lying about an accusation - the accusations are often printed on the front page while any later retraction is printed near the back in very small type, that sort of thing.
 
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Spectre said:
Quick correction - it is not the judicial system that humiliates the accused, but our press. It is especially notable when the press gets caught out lying about an accusation - the accusations are often printed on the front page while any later retraction is printed near the back in very small type, that sort of thing.
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I was merely referring to the way he was presented to the public: Unshaved, in handcuffs, etc.

Strangely such things never happen to people, where you would wanna wish it for, e.g. Rupert Murdoch :p
 
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MacGuffin said:
I was merely referrung to the way he was presented to the public: Unshaved, in handcuffs, etc.

Strangely such things never happen to people, where you would wanna wish it for, e.g. Rupert Murdoch :p
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He made the choice to appear so in public before he was arrested. He was arrested on an airplane that was about to leave New York.

Do you want the police to halt an arrest to allow the accused to shave and 'freshen up,' perhaps? Pretty much nobody gets that option in the US. You are cuffed and taken to the station in the condition in which you are apprehended. If you are unshaven, that is how you will appear before the booking officer. If you are clean shaven and wearing an Armani suit when apprehended, that is also how you will appear before the booking officer. If you are naked when you are arrested, they will put a blanket or towel around you - but you still get hauled into the station with nothing more. It's as simple as that. (Edited because some jurisdictions do allow grooming and changes of clothing before arraignment if representation is present, but most do not. And no jurisdiction has provisions for anyone, public figure or no, to clean themselves up after arrest but prior to booking.)

Not seeing how this somehow equates to 'the judicial system humiliating the accused.' It is the press' choice to run scanners or have operatives monitoring the public records for when a warrant is sworn out and swarm any high profile arrests and then publish the pictures, not the judicial system.
 
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I wasn't only referring to the day of the arrest. But maybe our different perception here is a result of the fact, that not everywhere in the world such processes are made publically, with cameras in court and stuff.

I don't see any public interest in presenting a celebrity in 2-day-old clothes and unshaven to a judge and air the whole thing live on TV other than to humiliate him.
 
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