Does France Excuse and Accept the Behavior of Dominique Strauss-Kahn?

The WSJ’s Peggy Noonan Concludes So,  But On What Evidence?

One of the bigger questions in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair (Is that too nice a word to describe it) is whether or not his actions were condoned by the French.  This is not the question of whether or not Mr. Strauss-Kahn is entitled to live a private life in which he does not adhere to his marriage vows, but whether or not it was acceptable for him to sexually assault a hotel employee.

Peggy Noonan of the WSJ Saturday editorial pages wants to make the point that the U. S. is superior to the French, a point Conservatives have repeatedly wanted to make since France would not support the U. S. in invading Iraq (How did that turn out, by the way?).  Here is her column

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704904604576333702189763560.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_BelowLEFTSecond

To do this she quotes a few French officials, and then ascribes the horrific attitude of those individuals to the country as a whole.

The Dismal Political Economist thinks this is unfair, both to good journalism and to France and the French people.  It is one thing to find a broad based survey supporting a view, but to attribute the lunatic statements of a few to the entire country is just not right.  It would be like attributing the statements of Ben Stein to the U. S. population.

Until there has been substantial analysis and study of the issue, and a clear consensus is reached, let’s hold the French bashing.