Sarkozy's "Bling Bling" jibe at Obama's celebrations

Ouch!

Could there be a slight tinge of envy on the part of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy over the festivities surrounding Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as US president?

And doesn't it smack somewhat of "someone in a glass house throwing stones"?

Sarkozy you see, apparently found the celebrations to a tad OTT.

His comments allegedly came at the weekly meeting of the French cabinet on Wednesday, according to the national daily, Le Parisien.

The paper reported that although on the one hand Sarkozy welcomed the "historical event" of Obama's investiture, he also had some less than generous words about the way in which the US had celebrated - which he had followed on television.

"What would we have heard here in France if I had done a tenth of all of that?" he is reported as saying.

And Le Parisien wasn't alone in covering Sarkozy's remarks.

Le Figaro - a centre-right national daily, not exactly a million miles from the president in its political leanings, also ran with the story, quoting Sarkozy as having said (with humour!),

"They're in the bottom of a hole, confronted with enormous problems, and none of that prevents them from partying over three days. With concerts, balls and all that 'Bling Bling'.

"And nobody asks how much it all cost."

Hmmmmmn.

Sarkozy, you might remember, has almost since he became president of France in May 2007, been portrayed and mocked as the very essence and personification of everything that is "Bling Bling" in this country.

Indeed there was even a rapping video made in November last year, "Le King of Bling Bling" which soon became a hit on the Internet at home and abroad.

All of which has led the website Le Post to wonder out loud over his latest reported comments whether "the president of the (French) republic wasn't just a little jealous of the worldwide fervour there had been over the investiture of Barack Obama?"