Reply #3: The Strauss-Kahn--Greece connection

[NobodyInParticular]

Strauss-Kahn, the socialist at the IMF, was known for a policy of going easy on Greece. But just before he could put on the brakes, he got stopped by a sex scandal in which he was accused, tried and convicted by the corporate media. And the public (including a lot of DUers) cheered the media verdict. What did anyone hear in his defense? Next to nothing. So he might have been guilty of sexual harrassment (a civil offense), but a 62-year-old r a p i n g a 32 year-old taller than he? Or does the presumption of innocence in criminal matters not apply to Frenchmen, let alone IMF officers?

Well, the whole thing has the ring of Spitzer getting busted the day before he was going to move against Wall Street.

http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=strausskahn_greeces_man

In the long months of negotiations aimed at managing Greece's debt and avoiding a default that would have sent Lehman-like shockwaves throughout the world, Strauss-Kahn emerged as a towering figure. A socialist and former French finance minister with strong European connections, Strauss-Kahn pushed and prodded the Greek government to keep on with painful reforms, all the while cajoling European governments -- especially Germany -- to not turn their backs on Athens. His contribution was thought vital in hammering out a new $50 billion to $60 billion bailout for Greece in return for new cuts, widespread privatization, and other structural reforms. It will be a hard sell both for the Greek public and for northern European governments unwilling to bail out the bailout. Now, with the managing director of the IMF awaiting trial in Manhattan on sexual-assault charges, the fate of the new bailout seems even less clear.