The president's wife

Is President’s wife Sarkozy, Carla Bruni, as well a president ? Named ambassador of the world fond for fight against Aids on December 1st, 2008, she participated the other day at a gala dinner to raise money against Aids. It is obvious that this role is dedicated to her as a President’s spouse and we only can be happy of the public help she ‘s bringing to the fight against Aids. However, her implication in the public life is sometimes contested. Those last days, she had to intervene in the medias to claim that she has nothing to do with the decision of Brazil, not to extrude to Italy the ex-left extreme activist Battisti. Not to mention last October, she dealt with Petrella not to be extruded to Italy, making her husband changed his opinion he took in July 2008. It’s not me to debate about the positions she’s taking. But she surely plays a role and some ask more and more themselves about the influence she could have on her husband. This is nothing very strange. Spouses at the top of the state play an important role. We’re easily thinking of Cécilia Sarkozy, Hillary Clinton, or Michelle Obama and if we look at History, we could easily make a list of Queens of France, like Catherine de Médicis or Anne de Bretagne, who play a crucial role. But, what looks like more or less acceptable for a monarchy, appears more strange in a republic. In fact, in a republic, power comes form the people, at least officially, and is given for a determined time to a person as president. We vote for this person and not for a couple. From this point of view, ye can ask ourselves at which title intervene presidents’ spouses. There is here a certain difficulty. French Constitution leaves no political role for a president’s wife, which is logical, but the public loves those pictures of the presidential couple, head of the state, and we find absolutely normal to see France represented abroad by Mr and Mrs Sarkozy. After all, It’s common sense and we do the same in almost every country in the world. We vote for a man, but we expect a woman too. Is this good republican ?