France's Tiger

It appears that France needs a leader in the form of a Clemenceau, called the "Tiger", rather than a De Gaulle like Chirac. It also seems they have one in Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who in a recent poll is most trusted to handle the crisis:

A poll in the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche suggested Sarkozy is the politician whom French people trust most to deal with the troubles. About 53 percent said they supported him, while about 71 percent said they lacked confidence in President Jacques Chirac.

In other developments, are the French taking my advice?

In the next few days, France is expected to start deporting foreigners implicated in the violence - a plan by law-and-order Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that has caused divisions in the government.

Also, the riots are boosting the stature of France's anti-immigration party. From the Washington Times:

Nationalist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen claims that the riots sweeping France have led to thousands of new recruits to his anti-immigration Front National (FN) party. ..
Several of the hard-line measures Mr. Le Pen had called for, including widespread curfews, were adopted by the conservative government last week. Mr. Le Pen's popularity jumped five points in an opinion poll for Paris Match, and he claims that the FN has been "submerged" by messages of support since the riots began. ..
"Carry on like this, guys, and in 2007 Le Pen will be president of the republic," wrote one youngster in opposition to the violence. The rioters are primarily first- and second-generation immigrants from north and west Africa and mostly Muslims.