But He Was So Good in Those Hertz Commercials

Here's something to put into the "Things that the French do that cause people to scratch their heads" file.

Film director Roman Polanski, who has for a long time been in exile from the United States, refusing to be sentenced to a conviction that he had drugged and raped a 13-year old girl in the 1970's, has recently been arrested in Switzerland and is now predictably fighting extradition. What perplexed me what the reaction of the French government.

The French culture and communications minister, Frederic Mitterrand, said "he wants to remind everyone that Roman Polanski benefits from great general esteem" and has "exceptional artistic creation and human qualities."

Uh... and this has exactly what relevance to his conviction that he drugged and had intercourse with a minor?

It's tantamount of seeing something like this during the O.J. Simpson trial's opening remarks:

Johnnie Cochran: Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I'd like to first remind all of you that Orenthal James Simpson is the only player to ever rush for more than 2,000 yards in a 14-game season. He has won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Walter Camp Award, and still holds the record for the Heisman's largest margin of victory.

Robert Shapiro: (interrupting) And he won the rushing title four times in the NFL...

Johnnie Cochran: Four times! Four times, ladies and gentleman. And did you see him in "The Naked Gun" film series with Leslie Nielsen?

Robert Shapiro: Hilarious!