that she had centrist appeal. You think so? It would be a definite plus. There is a sea of people who are completely clueless about politics, but have a strong sense of the values of bourgeois democracy, and are horrified at what Sarko has done to the Republic. They were Bayrou fodder last time, and are complete orphans this time, up for grabs.

I don't consider this a cynical attitude, by the way. They are citizens too, their voices deserve to be heard. Through identification with a candidate, they may come to think about the issues a bit more deeply.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}