Twelve Angry Men needs to be modified to Twelve Angry Men and Women. With the news out this morning that 12 candidates have officially been accepted for the upcoming first round of the French Presidential elections. Encouraging that 4 of the candidates are women. More disconcerting, however, in an era of supposed “change” is that 7 of the candidates are from the left, two in the center and 3 on the right (of which one is Nationalist Le Pen). It is ironic that Segolene Royal’s camp worries that the other 6 left opponents will “dilute” her vote. Right she is. But, it is most definitely indicative of the French condition that there should be 9 candidates wanting to promote the left/center agenda. I thoroughly believe history will show that the “decline” of France is intimately related to the pendulum having already swung too far left. But because it seems “inhuman” (or just “gauche” in France) to denounce the “social” agenda, nobody will be able to untangle the mess without a real “rupture.”