It was a picture worth a thousand words. In its January 7th edition, Le Monde published a superb colour photograph of the Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, wearing a dark suit and seated in a red and gold armchair, his gaze set on the middle distance and his hands folded on two books.
The photograph, which illustrated a two-page interview with Mr Jospin, set the French political class aflutter because it looked so presidential. "The only thing missing were a couple of flags, French and European, for the illusion to be total," Le Monde's columnist Pierre Georges remarked the following day, as the scandal gained momentum.
As it turned out, the photograph was actually taken in the Elysee presidential palace in 1997. It was chosen by the newspaper, not the prime minister, Mr Jospin's office protested feebly. By publishing the picture, Le Monde has sided with Mr Jospin against the incumbent, Mr Jacques Chirac, in the next presidential election, which should take place in 2002.
But opinion polls show that 74 per cent of the French public prefer a five-year presidential term to the present seven-year mandate. Mr Chirac could call an early poll in 2000, especially if he thinks he has a better chance of winning then. Whatever the date of the election, Messrs Jospin and Chirac will fight one another.
A five-year term would coincide with that of the French legislature, and would, in theory, end the awkward practice of "cohabitation". The presumption is that the electorate would be unlikely to choose a president and parliament of different parties in simultaneous voting. Voters like cohabitation because it gives everyone the illusion of being represented, though political scientists increasingly see it as a form of paralysis.
The public does not forgive the politician who destroys the impression of unity. "Whoever shoots first is dead," was former prime minister Edouard Balladur's analysis.
Cohabitation has been likened to nuclear deterrence. Both sides are armed to the teeth, but the threat of Mutual Assured Destruction prevents them from attacking. Mr Jospin's Socialists have privately threatened to reveal what they know of accounting at the Paris town hall when Mr Chirac was mayor. They are prevented from doing so by the Gaullists' knowledge of murky finances at the Socialist student union, MNEF.
Yet Messrs Jospin and Chirac are only human, and the first year and a half of their cohabitation has been marked by intermittent clashes. Since Mr Chirac's speech at Rennes on December 4th, when he called for the "modernisation of French political life", their rivalry has become more open. The cover of this week's Nouvel Observateur catches the mood with a photomontage of Mr Jospin disguised as Superman and Mr Chirac as Zorro, under the title "Chirac-Jospin, The Secret War".
Mr Chirac renewed his offensive in a New Year's Eve address to the nation that implicitly criticised Mr Jospin's government for "too much heaviness, two many habits that pull us backwards". The President has made an issue of the rising crime rate. "My dear compatriots, you expect those who govern you to enforce the law," he said. "You want authority, intelligent and responsible authority . . . The security of property and people is not guaranteed everywhere."
When statistics showing a 2.7 per cent rise in crime in 1998 were released this week, Mr Chirac pronounced the situation "very worrying". Mr Jospin quickly announced that the fight against crime was now his government's second priority, after unemployment.
Mr Jospin's Le Monde interview enraged Mr Chirac for two other reasons, besides the photo. The Prime Minister dared to comment on foreign policy - normally the president's prerogative - and he questioned Mr Chirac's neutrality as head of state. The President's speeches "do not have the same meaning, depending on whether he is expressing himself in the name of all French people, or for the opposition," Mr Jospin said.
Yesterday, presenting his New Year's wishes to the press corps, Mr Chirac responded. "It is my job to show the way, to situate France in the world of tomorrow - with no concern other than the general interest," he said.