Earlier, I posted on the central place of immigration and related issues in the run-up to the French presidential election. For those interested, I've selectively translated a Le Monde summary of candidate positions on immigration (translation here).

It's interesting to note that even the wimpiest of the four candidates I discuss — centrist politician Fran?§ois Bayrou, France's answer to Al Gore — looks damn good from an American perspective:

M. Bayrou supports "case by case regularization" [of illegal aliens] on the basis "of clear criteria and established rules" over a specified period (five years, for example) provided that the candidate holds a work contract, speaks French and has mastered the way of life and "basic values of France".