We've been paying close attention to the French these days. They may soon have a leader that we can befriend--at least we hope. The latest report says, "Nicolas Sarkozy extended his lead over Segolene Royal in opinion polls two days ahead of the French presidential election as the candidates closed their campaigns with appeals to core supporters."



A recent column in The Economist said this of Sarkozy: "Yet he is the only candidate brave enough to advocate the “rupture” with its past that France needs after so many gloomy years. It has been said that France advances by revolution from time to time but seldom, if ever, manages to reform. Mr Sarkozy offers at least a chance of proving this aphorism wrong."

Says The International Herald Tribune: He is "a free-marketeer who will bring supply-side economics to France, cut its bureaucracy, deregulate its labor market, reduce its debt, and open France to the winds of globalization. Yet as economics minister, he called for "economic patriotism" and arranged for a state rescue of Alstom, France's world-leading power and high-speed rail conglomerate."

NPR Weighs In: "The most pro-American of the French candidates, Sarkozy is a conservative who says France needs to get back to work to solve its economic woes. The 52-year-old is head of the ruling UMP party. The son of a Hungarian immigrant, he takes a tough stand on immigration — and as interior minister, took a hard line during the 2005 riots in the French suburbs."

Kind words have been spread about this frontrunner hoping to lead an apathetic nation some have come to despise. His top opponent, French Socialist Ségolène Royal, would be a huge loss for Europe. Mr. Sarkozy offers hope for change in a place where they've really let themselves go.