Maureen Dowd, "Can Valérie Seduce the French?": Can Sex Save The New York Times?

"Ooo, ooooo, Tish, when you speak French you drive me wild! Speak some more French, Tish. Anything! Toute allure! La plume de ma tante! Mademoiselle from Armentieres! Anything!"

- Gomez Addams, "The Addams Family"

Can sex save The New York Times? I doubt it, but it's not stopping 61-year-old Maureen Dowd from giving it her best, with all the lust and allure of 85-year-old Dr. Ruth.

On Sunday, Dowd tried to give us a rise with "The Tortured Mechanics of Eroticism" (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2013/07/maureen-dowd-tortured-mechanics-of.html). Today, Dowd is back with "Can Valérie Seduce the French?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/opinion/dowd-can-valerie-seduce-the-french.html?_r=0).

My goodness: "eroticism" and "seduction" from France on the op-ed page of The Times! Is Paris burning? No, but certainly certain places in the US are being torched following the Zimmerman verdict (see: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130716_ap_97447a8dc7eb4952940682885ad71a7f.html). But why get yourself depressed with what's happening in a traumatized United States, inextricably enmeshed in economic malaise and scandale? It's so much more fun romanticizing with Maureen in La Ville-Lumière, than sinking into dépression stateside.

In today's opinion piece, Dowd tell us that "France’s first unmarried first lady, Valérie Trierweiler, is conducting a global charm offensive in an effort to escape her nickname, 'The Rottweiler.'" Dowd writes:

"In the last five months, Trierweiler has done her best to impress the French, plunging into causes like autism and domestic violence against children. Last week, she traveled to Congo, where she went to a hospital to meet women who had been raped by militia members.

Le Point, a weekly right-wing magazine, called Valérie’s 'Operation Win Over' a mission impossible, noting that she is even more universally disliked than the hapless Hollande, the most unpopular president in the history of the Fifth Republic.

Her conservative critics complained that she was costing strapped taxpayers too much, given that she’s not even married to the president, but it turned out Carla cost more. A supermarket chain heir, Xavier Kemlin, pressed charges against Trierweiler for embezzlement, arguing that 'our taxes' shouldn’t pay for 'the house, the food, the staff and the trips' of a woman he views as no more than an official mistress.

. . . .

In a recent TV interview with Alessandra Sublet, Trierweiler offered humanizing tidbits such as 'I still do my sons’ laundry' and 'I still vacuum sometimes to relax.'"

Well, just in case Trierweiler is seeking a rest from all this tumult, I have the perfect vacation spot for her to unwind: Our house! Still plenty of children's laundry here, and no shortage of vacuuming (Arnold, our 150-pound Anatolian Mountain Dog is shedding).

We're waiting for you, Valérie! Just name the date!