PARIS (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, initially dubbed Sarko the American for his pro-U.S. stance, is finding it much tougher to deal with Washington than he had anticipated and is recalibrating his policies accordingly.
CHIDING OBAMA
... the chemistry never bubbled. Analysts say Obama clearly prefers dealing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Sarkozy is visibly frustrated by the situation.
Sarkozy's critics say he is jealous of Obama's high profile and hurt by public putdowns -- such as the U.S. president's refusal to dine with him during a visit to Paris last June.
Officials say the disconnect is centred on real issues, such as Obama's attitude to Iran's nuclear ambitions, which has been less hardline than Sarkozy's hawkish stance .
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As a result, Sarkozy will not particularly like to be in the shadow of Tony Blair. I support the view Sarkozy is using Blair as a deviation to be open to bargaining the coming weeks.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
