Finally, the President is getting it

... the President of France, that is. Nicolas Sarkozy, in his opening speech to the G20 economic summit in Davos, reminded the bankers and government officials present that there is a link -- a necessary link between economics and morality. He used a word that I thought had become archaic in our political discourse -- citizen.

The speech is fairly long, but Moshe Braner summarizes it nicely in Vermont Commons. Here is a sampling from near the beginning of the speech.

Yes, in the world of tomorrow, we must again reckon with citizens, with the demands of morality, the demands of responsibility, the demands of dignity for citizens. We must see this not as yet another problem, but as part of the solution; not as an additional difficulty, but as something healthy and virtuous, that may, perhaps, allow us to feel happier with what we are, happier with what we accomplish...

This crisis is not just a global crisis.It is not a crisis in globalisation.This crisis is a crisis of globalisation.

There are indecent behaviors that will no longer be tolerated by public opinion in any country in the world. There are excessive profits that will no longer be accepted... That those who create jobs and wealth may earn a lot of money is not shocking. But that those who contribute to destroying jobs and wealth also earn a lot of money is morally indefensible.

In the future, there will be a much greater demand for income to better reflect social utility and merit. There will a much greater demand for justice. There will be a much greater demand for protection. And no one can escape this.

President Sarkozy offers a much-needed breath of fresh air. Would that the United States could elect a President with such character!