Do the French crave America's love?

New York (CNN) -- If the Americans followed the French presidential elections as avidly as the French stare at the poll ratings of Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, they would know that "Sarko l'Américain," Sarkozy the American, may soon have to say "good bye" to the Elysée Palace.

The omens are bad and the possible demise of the most pro-American president in our history raises questions about our long and complex transatlantic relations.

Not that there is so much to worry about. Sarkozy's potential successor, the Socialist François Hollande, may have said that "the enemy is finance," but he also told the New York Times that before attending l'Ecole Nationale d'Administration, the alma mater of our elite public service, he had traveled to the United States and written a report on the American fast food industry that foresaw the triumph of McDonald's in France a decade later. The candidate even admitted a personal weakness for hamburgers -- a strategic cliché America is welcome to take as a token of transatlantic loyalty. Read More