Chirac's last stand

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France -- President Jacques Chirac earned the nickname "Le Bulldozer" for his boundless work ethic and implacable commitment to get things done. \nNow increasingly a lame duck, it appears Chirac will be the one bulldozed by history. His former protege, Nicholas Sarkozy, and Socialist candidate Segolene Royal are fighting to see who can brush his legacy aside fastest. Chirac suffered a stroke in 2005. He is also 74 years old. For many reasons, 81 percent of the French public doesn't want him to run again. By all accounts, this is a man finished in politics.\nNevertheless, this cantankerous old sorcerer just won't quit. In his New Year's address he proposed corporate tax cuts and eliminating homelessness. Again, he tossed an "I told you so" to the world about the war in Iraq, and he's trying to stimulate a peace deal between Israel and Palestine. These are the words of a man who isn't done fighting, and despite an ensuing election focused on his two energetic younger candidates, the big question in France is: "Will Chirac run again?"\nWith the election less than five months away, Chirac has watched Sarkozy's coronation at the convention of the party he founded, the Union for a Popular Movement. He has presided over two recent rounds of civil unrest and one disastrous referendum on the EU, as well as numerous scandals. This guy doesn't stand a chance, and if he runs, it's entirely possible that he will cripple his own party. Nevertheless, speculation continues to grow that Le Bulldozer will go for it. \nThe reason most cited by French folks to whom I've talked center around Chirac's bitterness toward his former trainee, Sarkozy. They suggest that Chirac would doom his party and country if it meant hurting Sarkozy. Others mentioned Chirac's immense ego and a hope that presidential immunity will save him from prosecution in various scandals.\nMaybe those are contributing factors, but I don't think he's running again simply to satisfy his ego or deflate someone else's. I see an old bulldog doing the only thing he knows how: fighting to say the things that need to be said. He can't retire; he can't even comprehend the possibility of leaving his beloved country in the hands of anyone else. After the life he has led, as interior minister, prime minister, mayor of Paris, and president of the republic having been a landmark of French politics for more than 30 years how can he just slink off into obscurity? \nIt's hard for me not to draw comparisons to another unpopular lame-duck president who wants to keep spending his empty political capital. Furthermore, Chirac should probably recognize that his times and opportunities have come and gone. Like Ali in his "Last Hurrah," Chirac would probably leave an election pitifully, not knowing when to quit. By running again, he could sabotage not only his legacy but also the national unity he tried so desperately to foster. For all these reasons, I don't think he should run. \nBut if he runs, I hope he wins.