Dear Members,

Monika sends the following brief message...(although I doubt that anyone outside France has thought that there has been a French pretender since the end of the 18th Century, at least).

-----Original Message-----
From: Monika STEFFEN [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: 05 November 2008 18:46
To: Oliver,AJ
Subject: Re: Obama

Dear Oliver and AAHPN members,
as I cannot come in for a coffee, it's not so much because of 
distance (1.500 km bird's fly) but because there is a strike again, 
today in France; this time it is the railway system, which would it 
make problematique to get to the next international airport or to 
join the Eurostar, if the latter is running at all.

So let me just give you a short account of French reactions: EVERYONE 
I met here seems absolutely happy to have Obama as the strongest, at 
least most important man of the World. "As this title cannot be hold 
anymore by a French pretender, De Gaulle being dead and Sarko not 
quite eligible, it then should be, as an alternative to a Son of the 
Grand Nation, at least a very handsome man, dynamic, smart and 
elegant just as like Obama!", that was the conclusion of our 
secretaries, after collective delibaration on the subject over an 
expresso.
"Le Monde", the most legitimate opinion maker of the Grand Nation, 
and the Left Intellectual media leader, titled warmest felicitates 
with great headlines to great this achievement. This evening's issue 
will be entirely on OOBAAMAA.
 
In the street people all smiled (which is unusual) this morning, and 
talked to each other (even more unusual) in public transport and 
shops, very spontanouly knowing that everone else had the same 
opinion, to say something like: "Oh it was such a wonderful night" or 
"Now we will come back to normal, in Irak as well as at Wall Street". 
Or "Oh my God, now I will be able to sleep again, it was so 
stressing, I drank a whole bottle of Champain last night, alone with 
Obama!".
An old lady said that she had been "waiting for this since three 
months, and that she had actually lit up candles last night, since 
she was not allowed to vote but wanted to help destiny fulfill its 
task and to do it well" as she explained.
 
And personnally, I am just happy and hopeful, and conscious that a 
big turn in history is beginning; he will not have the time to 
actually do it all, 4 and even 8 years is not enough, but he will be 
the one who puts the train on the truck and in the right direction; 
conscious also that he is at danger to be assassinated (I guess the 
risk at 1 to 4). Hopefully the security staff will be well directed, 
and that the experts learned from Kennedy and the World Trade Center. 
That is actually my main thinking, that he will not be assassinated.

A strange witness is on this political science institute, where 
nothing happened at all, at least so far, not even from the side of 
the students; but that is France : nothing happened either when the 
Berlin wall broke down, no-one even talked about it. Therefore, the 
secretaries collective deliberation, with its stylish 
expresso-cafee-ceremony, as strange the "sexy-worded-judgement" may 
sound to well educated British ears, is a most expressive witness of 
the French normal average citizen being VERY content with this 
election, and an excellent sign that the entire French nation is 
behind .... OBAMA ! So far I have not heart one single words that 
would not have been enthousiastic.


Monika (Steffen)



>Dear AAHPN members,
>
>Just a quick note to congratulate our American cousins on their
>collective common sense last night. You never know - this might even
>facilitate our attempts at encouraging greater Anglo-American health
>policy learning.
>
>If any of you are in London and want to meet for coffee or something,
>let me know.
>
>All best wishes,
>Adam
>
>Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic 
>communications disclaimer: 
>http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm


Monika STEFFEN
Directeur de recherche au CNRS,
Présidente de la Commission Scientifique de l'IEP de Grenoble
PACTE (UMR 5194),
Institut d'Etudes Politiques
Grenoble University
BP 48
38O4O GRENOBLE/France
Tel. direct:	+33 (0) 476 82 60 71
Secretary: 	+33 (0) 476 82 60 42
FAX:		+33 (0) 476 82 60 98   (... 82 60 70)
e-mail:	[log in to unmask]


Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm