By Susan Duclos

The Associated Press reports France's presidential election polling suggests that President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost the election to Socialist Francois Hollande.

Hollande has promised more government spending and higher taxes — including a 75-percent income tax on the rich — and wants to re-negotiate a European treaty on trimming budgets to avoid more debt crises of the kind facing Greece. That would complicate relations with Germany's Angela Merkel, who championed the treaty alongside Sarkozy.

With a last name like Duclos, I feel I can get away with saying, "nobody ever claimed the French were overly  smart." (Unless they live in France)

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