Francois Hollande Headed for State Visit to US
First state visit by a French president since 1996
For a down-on-his-luck leader such as François Hollande, this week's state visit to the US—the first by a French president since 1996—is just what the spin doctor ordered at a time when Hollande's approval rating has sunk to a new historic low.
Foreign leaders have long been known to lobby hard for the honour of a US state visit and a chance for some of that Obama stardust to rub off.
But that was when Obama had stardust to spare.