France's Diplomacy Play

Blessed are the peacemakers, but the First Couple of France may have had more political aims in engineering their dramatic accord with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The personal involvement of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Cécilia in freeing six medics who faced execution in Libya on trumped-up murder charges earned cheers from many. But it also generated grousing from E.U. officials who suggest Sarkozy cut in on their low-key negotiations with Tripoli in the final stretch to break the tape himself and get the credit.

In any case, it was just another sign of Sarkozy's results-focused approach to politics and...

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