Is it a coincidence that at the beginning of the Bush presidency, Americans (some of us, anyway) hated everything French—remember “freedom fries“?— and that at the end of the Bush presidency, French actress Marion Cotillard wins the Academy Award for best actress—and all of our hearts in the process?

“I’m totally overwhelmed with joy and sparkles and fireworks and everything that goes like ‘boom boom boom’…..”

Perhaps we are returning to sanity…..