In preparing his major pronouncements, Charles de Gaulle relies on two basic ingredients:history and mystery. Both were evident in his choice last week of Thursday, Nov. 4, as the moment to make his presidential intentions known to a presumably breathless world. The mystery part was a bit thin (few observers doubt that De Gaulle will run for a second term), but the history was laid on thick. Nov. 4 is the feast day of St. Charles Borromeo (1538-84), an Italian cardinal and church reformer possessed of a Gaullist profile, an imperious manner, and a bent for catechizing. Moreover, St....
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