As the WikiLeaks storm continues, much focus is on the negative aspects of such a colossal breach of security. Secret cables revealing human rights abuses or the possibility of violence in North Korea (to give two examples) reinforce the narrative that the whole world is a dreadful place teetering on the brink of chaos.
Why can’t we just, for once, enjoy the ridiculous and the absurd? Thanks to the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy – subject of a number of US embassy cables – we can. The revelations range from the mundane (the Saudis thought he was badly mannered) to the sinister (he apparently was an authoritarian who struck fear into his own advisers). One cable, however, that stood out above all the others was the despatch that featured this passage:
Sarkozy was clearly happy – and proud – to be in the company of his young son [Louis] and seemed tickled to be able to introduce him to “the ambassador of the United States”. Louis appeared at the threshold with a small dog at his feet and a large rabbit in his arms. To shake hands with the ambassador, Louis put down the rabbit – and the dog started chasing the rabbit through Sarkozy’s office, which led to the unforgettable sight of Sarkozy, bent over, chasing the dog through the anteroom to his office as the dog chased the rabbit.
Is that not the most ludicrously amusing image? You can practically hear the music of Benny Hill accompanying such a fiasco. “Allons-y, lapin!“
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