French reaction to the Strauss-Kahn affair.

I think of myself as no more prudish than the next person. Less so, in fact, generally. And I take this LA Times story about US-bashing in France over the Strauss-Kahn arrest somewhat with a grain of salt.

Having said that, and basing my comment only on reports of what happened, which may turn out not to be entirely true, I find this more than a little distasteful and even shocking. What this man is accused of is rape. This is not some minor matter, indicative of a puritanical obsession of Americans. The French need to take a deep breath, assess the actual facts, and ponder the realities of the situation from a moral perspective. If what Strauss-Kahn is accused of is true, he has no leadership role to play in any civilized society. To the contrary, he belongs in jail.