Thanks for your reactions.
I share some of your concerns, but I did not see Royal as  incompetent- just, to some degree, caught in the old familiar bind between the need to develop a nuanced position and the need for brevity and impact.
When dealing with social problems, retreat into only the world of statistics is usually the sign of
superficiality and the forerunner to failure. Just aint that simple. And I did see Sarkozy as a calloping hyperkinetic egomaniac who is unaware of the results of Neoliberal economic policy on the US and UK- as Sego said, "You need to do your homework."

That said, one is saddened by the obvious things she left unsaid-- such as:

"a bit of study on the US prison situation might reveal a lot about where France does NOT want to go."
Or, in response to his jibes about "emotional responses";

"A good way to identify dangerous people is to be very careful of those who cannot show emotion when emotion is called for, or who can put "feelings" on and take them off, to change them like a convenient shirt."
God, he rings false.

Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.