The way I read it from 6,000 miles away and little caring (after all I'm unlikely to ever go "back"), DSK had cleared the field of any decent competition and was going to take the election in a landslide. With enormous international experience, the IMF experience to show that he was a "nice" socialist, not one of these bad "reds" who'd have the Russian tanks in the Champs Elysees on day 2, and Sarkozy's unpopularity, it was a done deal and he was focusing on aligning interests.

Except Sarko's side managed to get the evidence out somehow (Sofitel is owned by pro-Sarko interests, etc.) and destroyed him much as Herman Cain was destroyed when he got too popular - via allegations of sexual misconducts (here, unlike with Cain, justified by later events). It left us scratching our heads at how DSK could be so stupid so close to the finish line (after all, you can do it all you want in France, where the police and media will cover up for you, but to do it in the US which has clean rule of law? insane). Hollande kind of got leadership by default, and Sarko STILL lost.

Honestly, Hollande is doing what he can. I have some sympathy for him and I thought he handled crises remarkably considering low expectations. I savour the irony of the systematic destruction of individual rights occurring under the PS' watch, arguably the "good guys" on that front.