FTAGOD
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took only a few minutes, Saturday afternoon in a hotel in Manhattan, for Dominique Strauss-Kahn's career to be tainted by scandal. The inquiry into the allegations made against the IMF head has only just begun, but the damage inflicted to his image and reputation has already reached the point of no return. Strauss-Kahn may proclaim his innocence, and his supporters may speak of an international conspiracy - certainly their positions should be given as much attention as that of his accuser - but the damage has already been done. And the damage is obviously considerable.
First of all, the affair deals a heavy blow to the French left. The Socialist Party seemed convinced that Strauss-Kahn's candidacy for the 2012 presidential election was a done deal, that his eventual campaign may even be unstoppable.
It is true that certain Socialist loyalists continued to harbor doubts about the 62-year-old's capacity to embody the party's values, about his free-market stance on the economy as illustrated by his IMF role, about his flamboyant lifestyle, or about his commitment to French political life. But his experience and undeniable skills seemed poised to largely counterbalance any of his alleged weaknesses, and his communication experts were expected to do the rest. (Read "Charming No More: Strauss-Kahn Braces for the Wrath of American Puritanism.")
Polls consistently showed that he was the most popular Socialist candidate, even after Francois Hollande's deft entrance into the fray for the Socialist Party primaries. But it now seems that the entire left has been caught off-guard by Strauss-Kahn's alleged sexual assault. Should the U.S. legal system confirm its charges, the entire Socialist Party would be deeply embarrassed by such an appalling scenario.
First of all, the affair deals a heavy blow to the French left. The Socialist Party seemed convinced that Strauss-Kahn's candidacy for the 2012 presidential election was a done deal, that his eventual campaign may even be unstoppable.
It is true that certain Socialist loyalists continued to harbor doubts about the 62-year-old's capacity to embody the party's values, about his free-market stance on the economy as illustrated by his IMF role, about his flamboyant lifestyle, or about his commitment to French political life. But his experience and undeniable skills seemed poised to largely counterbalance any of his alleged weaknesses, and his communication experts were expected to do the rest. (Read "Charming No More: Strauss-Kahn Braces for the Wrath of American Puritanism.")
Polls consistently showed that he was the most popular Socialist candidate, even after Francois Hollande's deft entrance into the fray for the Socialist Party primaries. But it now seems that the entire left has been caught off-guard by Strauss-Kahn's alleged sexual assault. Should the U.S. legal system confirm its charges, the entire Socialist Party would be deeply embarrassed by such an appalling scenario.