I've taken your advice and caught up in reading the Villepin-Sarkozy backstory through Chapter Six. I'll be going back to do comments.

You should send someone out to buy up every copy of the current Economist, and if he subscribes, you should make sure his copy never reaches his hands. It's a question of his health and well-being, you understand; the cover alone ("France's chance: The case for Nicolas Sarkozy" printed above a closeup of the top portion of the Jacques-Louis David portrait of Napoleon crossing the Alps, with Nicolas's face replacing Napoleon's, might cause a certain amount of ... distress (maybe apoplexy and throwing things). And we won't even talk about the long article inside.

Finally, Nico has been swamped in the final run-up to next Sunday's election, but he also will be back with things to say to your boss and to Madame Royal.