FOCUS: End of the DSK Affair

FOCUS: Apocalypse Fairly Soon

FOCUS: Five Facts That Put America to Shame

The NDAA's Coup d'Etat Foiled

FOCUS: The Commencement Address That Won't Be Given

A Victory for All of Us

Intro: "The Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair isn't over. And won't be until his honor is restored. Bernard-Henri Levy on the lessons of the case."

In Paris, news, and with it opinion of the DSK affair have taken a sharp turn. (photo: Reuters)

Comments

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-2 # Loup-Bouc 2011-07-02 13:41

Bravo. Bravo. Bravo.

+7 # pgobrien 2011-07-02 13:47

The peremptory pillory-ing of Mr. S-K was obscene and too many people were too ready to believe anything they heard about him without knowing any of the supposed evidence. That's incredibly lamentable, especially since the man's career and world-wide reputation have been trashed before we have a clue whether he deserved any of that. I still wonder, though, if he had sex with someone other than his wife at that hotel -- and if the person he had sex with was a maid -- and what he could have been thinking, given his position in the world and the risk he incurred through that behavior (if he did it). Not that he is a criminal for extramarital sex. That's his business and his wife's. I'm just wondering if he's incredibly foolish to be dallying with maids. MAYBE, though, it was all put up and he did NOTHING wrong or even ill-thought-out. Wouldn't it be nice to reserve judgement until the facts are released? Yes, that would be nice.

+8 # Bill Nye 2011-07-02 13:48

If a NY cop is arrested and charged with sexual abuse, assault or any other crime, is he/she subjected to a perp walk? I don't think so.

+14 # swrussel 2011-07-02 13:50

I agree with everything said about the presumption of innocence. I am, after all, a judge. However, I search in vain for this defendant's "honor" in this situation given the uncontested facts. For what it's worth, I'm also opposed to the institution of the perp walk.

+1 # Kaye Clarke 2011-07-02 15:42

What "uncontested" facts? There don't appear to be anything yet one could call a fact #swrussel.

0 # Loup-Bouc 2011-07-02 15:45

And I am a widely respected full professor of law (and have been for 41 years); and if you are a judge, a travesty has occurred and continues to occur each time you sit on the bench.

-1 # punk 2011-07-02 20:24

i googled you, and i dont think u r, after all, a judge. sorry u have been searching in vain, tho. a person's sex life, unless a crime has been proven is not an area where u have any authority to pass judgement, mr holier than thou.

-2 # RSJ 2011-07-03 07:52

@ swrussel: Judge, you might want to read this reversal by the NY Post that I posted in another thread:

The Sofitel housekeeper who claims [DSK] sexually assaulted her in his room was doing double duty as a prostitute, collecting cash on the side from male guests, The Post has learned.

The stunning new info surfaced yesterday as the accuser was unmasked as a pathological liar and scam artist by prosecutors whose rape case has unraveled. [...]

The Lies She Told

“I cowered in fear after DSK’s attack.” She told a grand jury under oath that after she was sexually assaulted in DSK’s hotel Suite No. 2806, she fled down the hall, where she cowered until she saw him leave for the elevator. She then immediately told her supervisors of the attack, she said.

TRUTH: She eventually confessed to prosecutors that what she really did after the “attack” was clean two rooms, including Suite No. 2806. Only then did she tell hotel staff what had “happened.”

“I was gang-raped by Guinean soldiers.” DSK’s 32-year-old accuser swore …

TRUTH: “[Subsequently] she admitted that the gang rape had never occurred,” prosecutors told defense lawyers in legal documents. “Instead, she stated that she had lied … “

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/maid-cleaning-up-as-hooker

+1 # John Marchioro 2011-07-03 16:11

Howie Kurtz had on a Newsweek journalist this morning, who noted that after weeks of DSK bashing the New York Post is now "backing itself off the edge of a cliff", and has switched over to bashing the maid. He specifically called the allegation that the maid was moonlighting as a prostitute "one of the worst sourced stories I have ever seen", and said he was stunned that the Post would sink to publishing it. If you are going to rely on the Post for your information, RSJ, you are barely one step above the National Enquirer.

-1 # RSJ 2011-07-04 08:12

@ John Marchioro: I don't rely on the NY Post for info, which is why I was amazed that the NY Post, which had been hammering on DSK's guilt, would suddenly do such a reversal. It's true that any prostitution or other unsavory things in her past doesn't mean she wasn't raped, but her lying to a grand jury in her testimony is a crime in itself -- perjury -- and the fact that she previously lied about being raped when it was to her advantage doesn't make her seem very reliable.

BTW, if you rely on Howie Kurtz for accurate information, you have my condolences.

0 # Activista 2011-07-03 18:02

"doing double duty as a prostitute, collecting cash on the side from male guests"
I am sure that Kahn lawyers and PR agencies pay very well.
Google Nafissatou Diallo - Maid Strauss Kahn prostitute
RSJ you are in good company - "stunned that ... would sink to publishing it ..
like ...
www.nypost.com, FOX News ...
"There is information . . . of her getting extraordinary tips, if you know what I mean. And it's not for bringing extra f--king towels," a source close to the Kahn defense investigation said yesterday.

Here is here brother:
“Would you accept money from DSK's lawyer if they asked that your sister withdrew her testimony?” he explains:

Nous n'avons pas besoin d'argent. Nous tenons juste à notre dignité, et voulons retrouver l'honneur et la dignité de notre soeur.

We don't need MONEY. We just care about our dignity, and we want to retrieve the honor and dignity of our sister.

Hard to understand for New York money culture ...

+24 # Melonie Magruder 2011-07-02 13:53

Dear Mr. H-L:

You are mistaken. DSK is not the symbol of arrogant France. He is the symbol of arrogant machismo, of entitled patriarchal men who believe that women are set in front of them to use or abuse at will. He might believe his class and his money protect him from accountability; but his initial impulse was as ancient as neanderthal man. Fortunately, many men in both the US and France have progressed intellectually and emotionally. From the number of women who have courageously stepped forward to detail the own DSK encounters, it is apparent Mr. Strauss-Kahn has not. And, apparently Bernard, you think that just because a woman might have lied about something in the past, it means that she always lies. Impugning the credibility of an accuser doesn't mean that she was not a victim.

-2 # punk 2011-07-02 20:43

i have no idea why so many women seem to be fighting off the advances of rich neanderthal men. i've met some rich guys who think they r irresistible, but they shrivel up like shrink wrap if u confront them with an ice cold stare.

+2 # Yvette Chalom 2011-07-02 21:33

I absolutely agree with Melonie Magruder. Moreover, social and cultural parameters must also be taken into account.

-1 # RSJ 2011-07-03 14:43

@ Melonie Magruder: She lied under oath to a grand jury about this case, and she lied in the past about being gang-raped. Should we just convict him anyway for the crime of having too much money, or for felonious arrogance?

+1 # GG 2011-07-03 15:06

[quote name="Melonie Magruder"]Impugning the credibility of an accuser doesn't mean that she was not a victim.
You are so right about that. By sleeping with the hotel maid , and apparently a host of others whether by force or with her consent, DSK lost his so-called honor.

+25 # John Marchioro 2011-07-02 13:58

It fascinates me how the ever tedious B.-H. Levy can maunder on and on like this about this tawdry rape case in the US, but never find the space to mention the fact that this is not an isolated allegation. Tristane Banon, a French journalist, has stated that DSK tried to rape her as well - she even called him "a rutting chimpanzee", if memory serves me - and that case is now being pursued if France, albeit belatedly. Instead of lecturing down to the US about a case that appears to remain well-founded whoever the victim's other friends may be and whatever illegal activities she might have been involved in herself, perhaps Levy can devote himself to making sure that people like Banon are not subjected to sexual harassment and attacks bordering on rape, in his and DSK's home country. Under the circumstances, it is simply ludicrous to whine about DSK's "honor". If DSK has little left at this point, he has no one else to blame for that but himself, fro conduct that apparently has been going on for quite a long while now.

+11 # Geoffrey Henny 2011-07-02 14:38

Bernard:

Your are missing the point. Yes, Strauss-Kahn got himself into a very humiliating fix with a system that can behave badly and with misplaced puritanical zeal towards celebrities. That being said, he was warned about this by Sarkozy himself. He also has a history of behavior towards women which does not go down well in this country in the 21st century and should not be as accepted as it is in France. Finally, it is clear that he had sex with the maid, regardless of the circumstances, and initially denied it - putting her on the spot irrespective of her motives. This is not the behavior one expects from the married head of the IMF or for that matter should expect from a potential President of France, regardless of the things done by other French Presidents. My model for France will always be General Charles DeGaulle - who you can be sure would never have allowed himself to get caught in this kind of scandal. As an aside, my father worked for the French government at a very high level for many years and knew De Gaulle and George Pompidou quite well. They would not have disagreed with what I am saying. I love France and lived there for a number of years in my youth and speak the language fluently.

-5 # Loup-Bouc 2011-07-02 15:47

The case involves zero PROOF that Strauss-Kahn had sex with the maid. You fit the ilk of the accusers of Dreyfus.

+2 # John Marchioro 2011-07-02 19:51

No evidence? The Dreyfus affair? You are giving hyperbole a bad name, chief. The Manhattan District Attorney would never have brought this case without abundant physical evidence. There is semen. The victim escaped by pushing DSK back and he injured himself when he hit an armoire in the room, and he has a wound from hitting the armoire that is consistent with her account. There is videotape showing how distraught the victim was when she left the room. You should not confuse the credibility of the witness in general (which has been damaged due to her other associations and activities outside this case) with the credibility of her story in this particular case; those are two entirely different matters. The evidence against DSK in this particular case is overwhelming. Why do you think DSK had his friends approach her family members in Africa about a financial payoff? Because he is innocent? You should put the bong down and do a little Googling about the Grand Jury evidence before making silly claims like this. And none of the people defending DSK here say anything about Tristane Banon, whose story is absolutely true (she told her mother and others about it right after the attempted rate happened). I bet you think Bill Clinton didn't rape Juanita Brodderick and Evelyn Wellstone either, do you? Wake up.

-1 # John Marchioro 2011-07-02 21:34

Ooopppsss, I meant "Eileen Wellstone".

-1 # RSJ 2011-07-03 14:53

@ John Marchioro: The presence of semen, and the other 'evidence' you cite is not proof that a rape took place. Moreover, you claim her statement regarding the rape is credible. That also is not true; she lied under oath to a grand jury:

From The Daily Beast:

"They [the prosecution] said the woman who has accused the former IMF head of rape admitted lying about her application for asylum and on her taxes. More relevant to the case, she admitted lying about the events of the alleged assault: It turns out that after Strauss-Kahn left, she cleaned a nearby room, then returned to Strauss-Kahn's and cleaned it, and only then called her supervisor to report the assault."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/06/30/dominique-strauss-kahn-case-falls-apart.html

She cleaned two rooms after a violent, traumatic rape in which she was injured? That is at odds with common sense.

John, where is your proof that Clinton raped either woman? Since he was not charged with rape, they are nothing more than spurious charges made years after the events allegedly happened, possibly for political reasons.

+2 # John Marchioro 2011-07-03 15:31

Loup-Bouc said there is no evidence that DSK had sex with the maid. That statement is clearly false based on the semen alone. As for her injuries, they are also attested and include bruises and perhaps a torn ligament. And DSK left his blood in the room and has a gash in his back. Or do you think the prosecution just concocted all this stuff? Even if the maid gave contradictory statements, there is abundant evidence here of a rape.

As for Bill Clinton:

http://www.albertpeia.com/oxfordassault.htm

There is no question that Clinton's political enemies have made great use of these allegations about him over the years. So what? That does NOT mean the allegations are not true. Wellstone will not discuss the matter with the media, but it is crystal clear that she charged with Bill Clinton with sexually assaulting her shortly after it happened, and this is why Clinton was forced to leave Oxford. As for Broderrick, she came forward reluctantly when her name was leaked to the media. Sounds just like Anita Hill to me.

RSJ, there is a thing in criminal law known as "pattern of conduct". If you do not see how that applies to the hilt in the case of both Clinton and DSK, I suggest you see an ophthalmologist . Both of these guys are serial sexual harassers, and both have crossed the line into coerced sex. They are no different from Roman Polanski.

0 # GG 2011-07-03 15:09

Quoting

The case involves zero PROOF that Strauss-Kahn had sex with the maid. You fit the ilk of the accusers of Dreyfus.

Be careful about this statement.L-P. His DNA showed up on her dress and stuff.

+5 # propsguy 2011-07-02 14:44

we must remember a few things

1) americans are at once puritanically revolted by and obsessed at the same with sex. children can watch violence in movies, but not sex. any politician can be brought down, not by his dishonorable double dealings, but by getting caught with his hands in some chick's panties

2) men know this and powerful men, seeking to take out a similarly powerful rival, will find no shortage of unpowerful women who for a fee are willing to put themselves in the path of a sexual encounter and then cry rape. this way,, the opponent is eliminated by his male weaknesses and the real orchestrator of the event need never reveal himself

3) when that woman proves a less than reliable witness, the powerful interests that paid for her part in the drama will throw her overboard like the expendable thing she is

4) this is not about justice, not about poor vs rich, men vs women. this is about one political faction trying to eliminate a perceived threat and using a stereotyped downtrodden minority (non-white, immigrant, poor, female) to do their dirty work. notice how quick hillary clinton was to over herself up for DSK's former position (can't that woman stay with a job?)

5) this is politics, plain & simple. DSK, the accuser, all of us are just pawns in someone's global game

+10 # tomo 2011-07-02 14:46

I confess that I have deep misgivings about the IMF. I have the feeling its genuine deep interior sense of mission is to keep the rich rich, and the poor poor. So this story bringing disgrace to DSK struck me as "too good not to be true."

It now seems there was probably a hidden agenda in play. This should teach us to be wary about what "news" we believe. I hope it won't "teach" us that the IMF can be trusted. It probably cannot.

0 # Activista 2011-07-02 20:20

Tomo - can you please elaborate on that hidden agenda.
Kahn raped (there is more than enough evidence - like Kahn sperm on her dress) conservative Muslim woman from Africa.
Thank you ..

0 # tomo 2011-07-03 11:35

Your comment confuses me a bit--because it conflates my suspicions of IMF with my suspicions of DSK. I had conflated them myself. Now I'm trying to separate them. The "hidden agenda" I STILL suspect is one that Naomi Klein (THE SHOCK DOCTRINE) and John Perkins (CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HIT MAN) attempt to describe. It says: IMF lends money in order to gain something like hegemony over the resources of the borrowing country, and that its policies tend to make serfs of the people in the countries to which it lends. My suspicions of DSK run somewhat parallel; I tend to think rich people and powerful people do not become such by accident, but by a willingness to trample on others.

To talk though of the other "hidden agenda": Now it's conceivable to me that some rivals of DSK may have seduced him into what was presented as consensual sex--with a view to bagging him like an animal once he'd stepped into the trap. That he MAY in this case be a victim of those who used his womanizing as a means to bring him down does not make me suddenly his fan. It does make me want to be cautious. Most of all, I don't want a mistake we might have been inclined to make about DSK lead us to let down our guard about IMF. Often enough, I think, IMF really is a rapist.

+1 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:04

DSK had two very powerful forces that wanted him disgraced and removed from power -- the moneyed corporate elite that profits from the IMF's depredations and pillaging, which he wanted to reform, and conservative French President Nicolas Sarkozy who was sure to lose the next election to the popular liberal DSK. As you say, the IMF has been a rapist of the world's resources, and DSK was trying to put an end to that crime.

+1 # Kiwikid 2011-07-05 02:02

This leaves me questioning whether you would you still be defending the man so vigorously, so assured of his innocence, if he were a hated right wing conservative?

-3 # Activista 2011-07-03 18:50

Thank you Tomo - I value your opinion - agree as IMF goes.
As Kahn case goes - I believe the woman story more and more - as Kahns $$ started to work - lawyers, PR agencies, media, sources $$
Sources??: Maid targeted Dominique Strauss-Kahn for ... - New York Post
www.nypost.com/.../hotel_maid_got_stiffed_by_dom_... - Block all www.nypost.com results
Jul 3, 2011 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn 'refused to pay' hooker maid for sex ... and planning to get her hands in his deep pockets, sources told The Post. ...
Dominque Strauss-Kahn's accuser was hotel hooker ... - New York Post
www.nypost.com/.../maid_cleaning_up_as_hooker_...Jul 2, 2011 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser wasn't just a girl working ...
shows our Money Society values - money pattern

0 # RSJ 2011-07-03 14:56

Except, tomo, the liberal DSK was trying to reform the IMF to help poor people prosper instead of stealing their national resources for global corporations. It would have cost those who profit from exploitation hundreds of billions.

+5 # NHpete 2011-07-02 15:05

WOW!!!! I've been frothing at the mouth since the 1st paragraph of this article. Why did you publish it???!?!!!! Because this guy used a couple of words that I forced me go to Dictionary.com?? Or that I got a quick lesson in the nuances of the French Revolution? Gimme a break..

Mr. Levy's entire argument orbits around one fact. The "perp walk." Right or wrong (I think wrong,) yes, Mr. Levy, we do things differently here. That the people of France were horrified by seeing DSK in chains is merely a product of cultural differences. Get over it...

Regarding denunciations of DSK in the press, that too is a matter of cultural differences. Simply put, we're mostly prudes. Illegal or not, I view DSK's reported dalliances with women other than his wife as that of a narcissistic horndog. Apparently, considering the attitude of the media, I'm not alone. If this kind of info about DSK had been front page news without any mention of a rape accusation, I'd feel the same way.

One final mention of cultural differences.... That DSK as a gazillionaire and former head of the IMF
is a potential candidate for the President of France is a decision to be made by the people of France. But that he's running on the Socialist ticket purely and simply BOGGLES MY MIND!!!!

+12 # goodsensecynic 2011-07-02 15:11

There was a time (I have been led to believe) when The Rule of Law meant something, and when the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States meant something as well. There was a time (or so I'm told) when people took the presumption of innocence seriously, and waited for a judicial proceeding in which the accused was confronted with actual evidence and got to confront the accuser.

Was all this an illusion?

Today, we seem to be plunging down the Rabbit Hole, where the punishment is meted out before the verdict is delivered, and the evidence is heard only if there's time left over before the final commercial.

I have no idea whether "DSK" is guilty of anything, and I won't unless there is an actual trial (if there is one). In the meantime, it would be nice if everyone were to shut up!

As things stand, the only parties to this miserable business who have come out well are the people in the prosecutor's office who might have been tempted to "cover up" the apparently excuspatory evidence but did their duty.

Good for them!

Let us hope that something like the "truth" is revealed, and let us try to keep our heads the next time some other tawdry episode come along (which it will).

+6 # Colleen Clark 2011-07-02 15:36

DSK's "honor" cannot be restored. Not because of his arrest, but because now his treatment of women has been exposed for all the world to see. No one has yet denied that there was a sexual encounter in DSK's suite. What kind of "honorable" man has sex with a hotel maid?

Consensual sex by men in public life with those other than their regular partners puts them at risk of embarrassment. What are they all thinking that they won't be exposed by their political enemies? Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky. Eliot Sptizer with a call girl. Arnold Schwarzenegger conceiving a child no less with a woman who worked in his household. Anthony Weiner who sent revealing pictures of himself to interested women. Honor gone, even without any perp walks.

+4 # Brewsir 2011-07-02 15:44

I will agree with thsi writer if it is shown that DSKs semen was not not found on any part or clothing of this African woman. I assume that this lady was sent by the hotel to clean the room that was being paid for by DSK or his employer. He was either suckered into some act or he forced himself upon this employee. No aspect of this spectrum shows civility and one extreme is criminal. DSK is an example for those many others like him who force themselves on their female underlings. It is not their right. Just the thought of getting DSK'd should keep some violence under control. The others deserve a perp walk and more. Cyrus Vance is to be complimented for refusing to tip-toe around the rich and famous. There are many poor who sit in jail falsely accused and convicted. Let's pay some attention to them. The DSKs of this world can buy their chances.

-3 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:07

@ Brewsir: Unless DSK did not take advantage of this woman. Perhaps she either offered herself, or she charged him for sex. Either way, you cannot fairly say he took advantage of her.

+2 # MC 2011-07-02 16:44

More European Elistist CRAP!!
What? A drug addict can't get murdered?
A Hooker can't be raped?
A member of al-kaida can't be hit by a bus?
No one is stating why DSK bail was reduced - Charges still Stand - Physical
evidence still exists - no one can say
the story has changed. Just the fact of
who controls the media in the US and that small prople get in the way of international Criminal exlitists!
BULLSHIT - Wait til the Trial. LOL

+2 # Nel 2011-07-02 16:51

Sex by two persons of unequal social, economic, political power is not consensual until proven otherwise. Mr.Dominique Strauss-Kahn knows that. If decency prevails he'll be found guilty and paid for his arrogance.

-3 # punk 2011-07-02 18:23

i dont think so. i think if the person is in a position of power over you-like an employer or a policeman-then it becomes very questionable, but he had no power over her. in fact, she has power over him cuz her accusations can make him fall from fame to felon. he had a lot more to lose than she ever did. QED

0 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:13

When did arrogance become a crime, Nel? Isn't arrogance a matter of personal perception? There are people who are very shy who have been considered 'extremely arrogant' because they didn't talk to anyone at a party. They weren't arrogant; they were terrified. Would you want someone spreading lies about you because they perceived you as arrogant? Would you like to go to jail as a result?

+10 # jwb110 2011-07-02 17:03

The Nancy Graces and Judge Judys have helped to lower the Judicial system to the level of a media circus. They are smug, self-serving and power hungry like their counterparts Limbaugh and Beck. They are judge and jury at every turn and somehow feel they are deserving of this power.
Shame on them and shame on those who keep them in the public because of ratings and money.

+4 # maddave 2011-07-02 17:33

Quote from text: If it’s truly to be over, Dominique Strauss-Kahn must be granted not only his freedom, but—even more importantly—res toration of his honor.unquote

Horse hockey! Other than in a sophomoric locker room, where is the honor in interrupting a diplomatic mission to grab a quickie from a chambermaid? When a guest (as DSK certainly was in this country) does an honorable man hit up on the maid or the cook. . . or the butler?

This undisciplined and obviously sexually addicted misfit proved to the world that he has respect for neither we, his hosts; the woman whom he put upon; nor himself.

The question I put to Dominique Strauss-Kahn (and the rest of the world) is: If, as it appears, you cannot control your own libido and your resultant actions, why would we believe that can rationally control the IMF, France or any other domain in which skirts are going to be a constant distraction?

And another point: The woman told lies somewhere in her past, Therefore - according to Bernard-Henri Livy - it is open season and she is fair game for the likes of DSK. OK. Great! That being the case - and taking in to account the fact that ALL women have lied sometime in the past - then aren't all women fair game for the world's satyrs?

0 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:18

@ maddave: Perhaps DSK should be put in stocks in Times Square so that the public can hurl insults and pop cans at him for his sins. Unfortunately for him, DSK is a little too 'French' for our sexually repressed, puritanical culture that, at the same time, is obsessed with sex. Obviously, he must pay for not conducting himself in the past as a Bible-toting Republican.

-4 # punk 2011-07-02 18:08

Dominique Strauss-Kahn must be granted not only his freedom, but—even more importantly—res toration of his HONOR.
haha. he is not going to get a medal for getting a bj from the hotel maid!
i cant get all morally worked up over a little 'geezer meets chambermaid' play, but doesnt he know that a generous tip is in order??? miss manners says that 15% of the room charge is the standard gift. a man in his position sd have given a generous 20%, as insurance. and he sd have asked for a receipt.

-1 # xflowers 2011-07-02 18:25

Hawthorne wrote of this tendency to turn a man into a symbol of all that's despised and on that basis, punish and humiliate him in his famous short story "My Kinsman, Major Molineux." Apparently, this is a tendency that's been with us a long time.

-1 # mj 2011-07-02 20:26

Sorry, but I can't let this one go. Not only do you seem to have missed the point of that story, but Molineux is an unelected governor appointed by the British crown without the consent of the people. So he is hardly just a symbol to those who attack him. Like DSK, he wields real power--power that is non-representative, corrupt, and destructive.

0 # punk 2011-07-02 19:56

i'm having a hard time not laughing at this article. the author, monsieur bernard-henri levy, must be the most overblown, pontificating gas-bag ever. he sd be permanently prohibited from publishing such grandiose gas explosions. remove all writing materials from his possession immediately!

-1 # cantora 2011-07-02 20:06

Great piece and a shameful episode in America. An indictment of American francophobia with plenty of guilt to go around from his being paraded to am incendiary yellow press to he fired up lynch mob of the curious, the ignorant and the bored. Like cattle ready to be led to the sick smell blood. From the start I saw this as a set up job and I still do but the damage done to DSK may be irreparable. Shame on NY, the press, the ogglers and the cops who handed him over to the lynch mob.

+1 # jiggs 2011-07-02 20:39

it is ironic that both parties have a questionable past, Mr. Strauss-Kahn with women and his accuser the hotel maid. neither is unblemished, therefore it is fair to question his role. But the evidence does not change the physical evidence is there, she was raped. What, seems to be said is that if a woman has a questionable past she has no recourse to justice.

-1 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:21

@ jiggs: there is no evidence of rape; there is only evidence that he ejaculated on her. That is not proof of rape.

+1 # slyfox 2011-07-02 20:49

Give Me A Break. Though he has not been proven guilty, DSK has not been exonerated of the crime he has been accused of. Have you been paid to white-wash a possible crime.

Hogwash; and don't blame the outcry on "anti-semitism." I had no idea that he was a semite; and I don't have anything against the French, nor those who are socialist leaning; but I do detest Rapist, men who abuse women, and men who have no respect for women, and are enact violence against them.

If DSK committed the crime he has been accused of, prehaps a lowly hotel maid has been called for this moment. It is time to be rid of the likes of those persons of power running roughshod over the lowly of rank, creed and nationality. In this case, God save France from the likes of this kind.

+1 # wrodwell 2011-07-02 21:20

Hmm-mm.....So, George W. Bush is the inventor of the "concept of pre-emptive war". Who knew! George W. Bush? Inventor? Concepts? Huh? Perhaps monsieur Henri-Levy has forgotten when the Israelis took out Saddam Hussein's nuclear facilities back in the 1970's? Or the Japanese sneak attack at Pearl Harbor? Or Hitler's betrayal attack on Russia? Or...........etc. Mon dieu! Anuzzare Franch intellekchual bitez zee dust. Sacre bleu!

0 # Dion Giles 2011-07-02 21:25

It seems Mr Strauss-Kahn it is being judged by some correspondents (want examples?) not on his race, not on his nationality, not even on his class, but on his gender. Men force themselves on women. Strauss-Kahn is a man. Therefore Strauss-Kahn forces himself on women. Therefore he forced himself on the maid. So runs the "logic" of some who are overtly hostile to half the population.

Isn't it better to evaluate a person's guilt or innocence on the facts of the time period at issue? Frustrating if the facts aren't available, and even in a trial only some will be available as the legal process itself is designed not to reveal the truth but to obscure it. Best we can do is sift - on a running basis - the distinguishing facts, allegations and evaluations that surface.

Facts are emerging that throw huge doubt on the veracity of the complainant. These facts, which can’t but throw doubt on her accusations against Mr Strauss-Kahn, are irrelevant to the wiseacres who barge ahead on the assumption that the guy must have done it because some men do it to some women (often deceitfully abbreviated to "men do it to women"). They are merely using the Strauss-Kahn case as yet another trigger to sound off with the false and divisive ideology they seek persistently to promote.

0 # punk 2011-07-02 21:43

it's all over the tabloids now that she was a prostitute. there is also a taped call [supposedly] with her saying to her b-friend, "dont worry. i know what to do. he's very rich." [or words to that effect.]
if that is the case, she essentially 'raped' dsk. and she did a terrible disservice to women who are truly raped. she undermines the credibility of any woman who brings charges for rape.

+1 # Habib Khan 2011-07-02 23:06

“The Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair isn’t over. And won’t be until his honor is restored.” Bernard-Henri Lévy

The honor once lost can never be restored. It is like the word that comes out of the mouth that can never be taken back or to take another example of a broken glass. Especially in this case as the gentleman in question has been charged before of having an affair with his staff member and may be other similar affairs with which he got away with.

-2 # Heartbeatt 2011-07-03 01:12

Unfortunately in France there are those who still take Bernard-Henri Lévy seriously. And here he is again defending his friend's 'honor', yet Lévy is certainly not innocent of persecuting others.
It is all extremely unpleasant, but we are saved of having Strauss-Kahn become President of France. Whew!

+1 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:26

Don't be so sure, heartbeatt. A majority of the French public are now on DSK's side, especially after these new revelations as to the character, or lack of it, of his accuser. He might still become the liberal socialist president of France, and I think that's just great. Sarkozy's been ruining the country with his conservative, anti-worker, anti-union, 'reward the rich' policies.

-3 # America 2011-07-03 04:02

The lady victim's lawyer actually did his client a big dis-service on the steps of the court house on friday in his overly graphic detial depiction of the attack.

YEs he talked about a violent attack (1) hands on breasts (2) hand bruising vagina (3) torn ligament collar bone... however the rest is interesting (a) she being attacked on her knees (b) she SPITTING I repeat SPITTING semen all over the place..on the carpet...right DNA evidence?

A fair assumption is she gave DSK oral sex..yes? forcibly???

How does a 62 y.o. man force a 32 y.o. woman into giving him oral sex. If this was such a one sided violent assault why didn't she first run out of the suite? Why didn't she retaliate during the oral sex in the most likely manner.. with her teeth (sorry for the graphic discription).

One last thing to bear in mind, DSK's lawyers basically admitted to consentual sex. Admittedly a foolish thing to do.
So if the result of the violence was faked (not hard to do, otrn stockings, bruised vagina, etc.) what is he guilty of?

Concentual sex over the age limit is not a crime so what would DSK be guilt of beyond bad judgement and infidelity?

-1 # Activista 2011-07-03 11:11

"How does a 62 y.o. man force a 32 y.o. woman into giving him oral sex"
should be rephrased:
How does a 200 lbs. man force a 100 lbs. woman into giving him oral sex

0 # RSJ 2011-07-03 15:30

A 200-lbs 62-year-old man not in great shape against a 100-lbs (if she is only a 100-lbs -- I haven't read that anywhere) 32-year-old woman who works on her feet all day? Seems to me she could easily outrun him.

+5 # kalpal 2011-07-03 05:30

Like the rest of the readers I don't know what really happened in that room. It well be that the DNA samples may be probative.

This is far too much like part of a "Law & Order" script from popular TV to be taken on the face of it. The needs of 24/7 cable news networks to be outraged about something every hour of the day also discomforts me. I lack any faith in networks doing any due diligence before they scream "J'accuse" at any convenient target. Reciting the word allegedly prior to all accusatory statements does little to ease my fears that this is largely about attracting eyeballs to sell to advertisers.

-2 # Activista 2011-07-03 10:57

"Reciting the word allegedly prior to all accusatory statements does little to ease my fears that this is largely about attracting eyeballs to sell to advertisers"
And advertisers (corporations etc.) CONTROL also the content.
Now guess - who has more media "control" - Kahn or maid refugee from Africa. This is why the "news" is "changing".
In US "money buys justice" her chances are zero.

+1 # cascaisgal 2011-07-03 07:24

This man can afford the top lawyers. Probably they paid the girl off. He might not have raped her but he is a sex addict, untreated. I can imagine that the maid must have been revolted by the sight of DSK with a towel over his parts. The wife is a flaming codependent. I feel sorry for the whole lot, of them , especially the young maid.

-2 # Activista 2011-07-03 08:17

It is scary how we are brainwashed by Kahn's money - lawyers, PR agencies, media.
Remember - media first week reported the facts from the police - then the Strauss-Kahn hired $$ TD International and NYT came with "corrected" story.
Can one of the friend of the rapist describe for me this international conspiracy this half literate conservative Muslim woman from Africa is center of?
Thank you ...

-1 # Activista 2011-07-03 18:09

Dominque Strauss-Kahn's accuser was hotel hooker, insiders say ...
www.nypost.com/.../maid_cleaning_up_as_hooker_... - CachedJul 2, 2011 – Dominique Strauss-Kahn's accuser wasn't just a girl working at a hotel -- she was a working girl. ... Maid cleaning up as 'hooker' ...
was allegedly purposely assigned to the Midtown hotel by her UNION because it knew she would bring in big bucks.

.. and 80% Americans supported Iraq War - now I know why ...

-1 # Joel 2011-07-03 10:54

http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/05/16/but-his-reputation-will-be-ruined-and-what-about-france/

+2 # SOF 2011-07-03 22:13

Some here know more than I. Is it correct that DSK because he stood with a small chorus of international financial pros who believe the US $dollar is no longer the standard it was and are considering alternatives. In this case he would be a threat to US powers. Head of IMF is a very powerful position. ???

I agree that the perp walk, assumed guilt. and disregard for human dignity or law is another blow to our own supposed values. I cringed when I saw Saddam in that same position, and actually felt a bit sorry for him. Both were victims of the new barbarism.

+1 # james woodard 2011-07-04 10:25

DSK has a history of trying to force unwilling women to have sex. what's his explanation for the ecounter. did a strange hotel worker offer herself to him, an old codger.

-1 # RSJ 2011-07-05 02:32

@ James Woodard:'Force' is a term that needs further defintion. He may have tried to persuade someone to have sex with him that was not interested, but you'd hardly consider that 'force.' The explanation for this hotel worker wnating to have sex with this old coot is one of two: a) shew as cahrging him money; b) she thought she could extort money from him later (re: the recorded conversation with her friend in jail).

-2 # TheDeprogrammer 2011-07-04 11:24

Mr.Levy,the defender of Pepe Le Pig,Where was your indignation when Jacques Cheminade was judicially and financially terrorized by your French power structure in his bid for President of France in 1995? It appears you only speak up,or rather,double speak,when your rich friends are nabbed for their male "French behaviour".Why are you trying to get us to overlook the facts that DSK is a facsist money changer for the city of London through the IMF looting apparatus and the Inter Alpha group of Banks?

-2 # RSJ 2011-07-05 02:34

TheDeprogrammer , that's nonsense -- DSK wanted to reform the IMF. You should work on deprogramming yourself of these wild conspiracy theories.

+1 # Nick Gallup 2011-07-04 11:32

One thing I have definitely learned from all of this, and that is the "Perp Walk" does make a casual observer, and potential juror, think that the accused may be guilty. This is not done in France, nor should it be done here. Other than the "Perp Walk," I see this entire affair as an example of the Ameican judicial system working at its best. The NYPD and the DA acted correctly and professionally in the prompt arrest of DSK. They acted even more professionally in continuing to objectively seek out all of the facts, despite the rush to judgment by most people that DSK was indeed guilty as charged. Embarassing as it must have been for the DA, to his great credit he put all of these facts on the table. DA's are politicians and just think of all the publicity and kudos he could have received for successfully prosecuting this arrogant Frenchman. What temptation for a cover-up. It probably cost him the governership.

+2 # Paul Randal 2011-07-04 23:23

DSK is a pig. There is no defence for his actions either here in NYC or in France before. That his own wife's (or his 3rd wife's) godaughter is pressing charges against him for attempted rape is more than enough. But for Levi-Strauss to ascribe "a silent dignity" to this self styled Libertine is a bit much.

Clearly even by the debased standards of morals we expect from politicians political power he is unfit to lead anything or anyone. If he is not guilty of a crime in France then he can just slink back into the hole he crawled out of.

0 # dkonstruction 2011-07-05 09:29

The IMF F#%ks/rapes entire countries. Whatever the truth is about this incident we should shed no tears for the head of this criminal institution that bears direct responsibility for the misery of millions (if not billions) around the world.

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