Word: yading
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...making a place for minorities was one of the reasons that Sarkozy named Yade to government in the first place. Alongside Justice Minister Rachida Dati, the daughter of immigrants from Algeria and Morocco, Yade serves as living proof of Sarkozy's promise that there is room for capable, energetic people of all races in French politics - and at every level of French life. Dati and Yade quickly became fixtures in France's media, favorites in public-opinion polls and darlings of the image-conscious Sarkozy. After Sarkozy named the women to his first cabinet in May 2007, however, the ambitious...
...Yade has also run afoul of Sarkozy - usually by speaking her mind in a manner that infuriates government colleagues as much as it thrills the French public. When Sarkozy prepared to greet Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2007, for example, a visibly disgusted Yade - then serving as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights - warned that "Gaddafi must realize our country isn't a doormat upon which a leader, whether terrorist or not, can come to wipe off the blood of his crimes." And while Dati knuckled under to Sarkozy's order to run for the European...
...final straw apparently came last month, as the Elysée fought to quell accusations of nepotism around a bid by Sarkozy's son to attain an influential public job. As fellow cabinet members rejected any suggestion of favoritism or conflict of interest in the younger Sarkozy's move, Yade noted that the affair didn't look innocent to the public. "We must not give the impression that there is a gap between the protected élites and the little people," she said. (Read "Sarkozy Backs Appointment...
...That kind of refreshing talk has made Yade a favorite - a status that has been enhanced by speculation that she may not be long for the government. A poll released on Nov. 11 found Yade topping the list of all politicians "who should play a large role in the coming months." "Sarkozy has suffered a series of embarrassing controversies - including the accusations of nepotism - that have eroded the support of his traditionalist voter base worried about values, honesty and responsibility," says Jean-Marc Lech, co-president of the polling company Ipsos. "Rama Yade is popular with those voters and others...
...Given Sarkozy's long record of advocating increased diversity and better opportunities for minorities in France - including a call for U.S.-style affirmative action - nobody can accuse the President of cynically using Dati and Yade as token members of his government. But both women forged such strong characters and opinions in taking on prejudice as they made their way up France's political ladder that it is puzzling as to why Sarkozy should be surprised when they stick to their guns once they make it to the top. Indeed, Yade's willingness to go against the current is the main...