Christine Lagarde and the IMF

When I was in London last week, I talked with a senior executive--a woman--who told me that there is no question that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former managing director of the International Monetary Fund accuses of sexually assaulting a housekeeper at the New York Sofitel, was set up.  In other words, he was the victim of a sting operation of some kind. He would not, she assured me, be so foolish as to have committed this crime.

 

I took a different tack on the case. I told my friend that there is no way the New York Police Department would have dragged Mr. Strauss-Kahn out of the first class section of the Air France plane on which he was about to depart, unless they had the goods on him. The NYPD, I assured her, would not be so foolish as to embarrass themselves with anything but a solid case.

 

 

Who's right? Time will tell. There is always a lot of distance between the accusation of rape and someone being sentenced for committing it. And this case will be a doozy: Strauss-Kahn's rich wife has the money to fund an all star defense team and everything else required to win this one for Strauss-Kahn.

However the court case goes,though, I imagine his hopes to become President of France are slim.

Let's look at Christine Lagarde, the current Finance Minister of France, who has thrown her hat in the ring to replace Strauss-Kahn. I'll give you the link to her comments made yesterday about her candidacy.

 

 

I feel privileged to known Madame la Ministre Lagarde. She and I became friends years ago in connection with the MainEvent, the satellite-distributed program I did annually to showcase women leaders to audiences around the world.  When we began, Christine was still running Baker & McKenzie, the world's largest law firm. Then she became the leader, under President Francois Mitterrand, of France's Department of Agriculture. Then,under Sarkozy, she became the Finance Minister. A big job. And she is regarded by most of the pundits I respect, as the perfect person for the job. She's a professional, she's brilliant, and she has a deft touch that is not sullied with political ambition.

Since I am obsesses with how people present themselves orally, I was fascinated to see what Christine included in her remarks confirming that she is in the running for the top IMF post.  Besides all the obvious stuff about her credentials in the global financial community, her understanding of what is at stake for the IMF and other professional considerations, she included the fact that she is a mother. Huh? What has that got to do with anything? My view is that Christine included it as a sly reference to Strauss-Kahn's extra-marital problems and the fact that he is not someone you would want near your daughters. Christine implies that she knows what concerns people about their own children and, be extension, their country. They want to feel they are in safe hands. That what you see is what you get. That her behavior behind the scenes is what you would expect of someone who proudly describes herself as a parent.

Shrewd move, Christine. You always say the right thing.

Comments

[cheap jerseys]

Besides all the obvious stuff about her credentials in the global financial community, her understanding of what is at stake for the IMF and other professional considerations, she included the fact that she is a mother. Huh?

[vibram five fingers]

a deft touch that is not sullied with political ambition.