George Bush - à la franç aise
By Martin Arnold
Published: October 30 2004 03:00 | Last updated: October 30 2004 03:00

There can be few more damning insults for President GeorgeW. Bush than being called French.

Yet this is the incendiary claim made by France's Le Figaro newspaper, which argued in a front-page story yesterday that the president's name had betrayed his secret Gallic roots.

The daily newspaper unearthed its "revelation" in an historical oeuvre, Histoire de l'Amerique franç aise, listing the names of early 18th-century French immigrants to the US that were later Americanised.

Just as Bilodeau switched to Bilow, Desrochers morphed into Stone. One name stands out: Boucher became Bush. Quelle surprise.

The newspaper said it was "conscious of our historic responsibility to deliver to the American people a revelation likely to change the face of the world and its own".

Widespread francophobia in the US - stemming from the diplomatic dispute over war in Iraq - has made links with France a political faux pas. Mr Bush has campaigned on a promise to prevent "countries like France" from influencing US decisions.

Mr Bush's newfound Frenchness could level the playing field with Democratic challenger John Kerry, who has been embarrassed by his own Gallic roots. Mr Kerry has dodged questions about his French cousin Brice Lalonde, given up speaking French in public and even refused to drink Evian water.

French politicians have underplayed support for Mr Kerry, for fear it could help Mr Bush. Le Figaro says its revelation about "Georges Guillaume Boucher, alias George W. Bush" could be the tiny detail that "swings opinion one way or another". Martin Arnold