I thought I read he was teetotaller. ?

M McGregor, Tunbridge Wells, Dorset

To think he could have used the far better line ... I'm the President of France, its what I do"

alex, london,

The Prime minister has to run upstairs to a press conference?
He's lying. Sarkozy will be hated by the french very shortly adn that is a good thing.

lance brillantine, redmond, usa/wa

Could it be that he had been enjoying one of those aperitifs which are the speciality of the house in Moscow ?

Phil de Buquet, Newport, England

Short legs and a couple of vodkas on an empty stomach is all it takes to climb any stairway four steps at a time!
Telling the truth is a much more difficult task.

Tonio, Paris, France

Pathetic. Any head of state's state is reflective of the state of affairs of the state.

ricardo, warwick,

"I was running late so I went up the stairs four steps at a time," he said.
Sarko did not only take the stairs 2 at a time which can be hard enough, but 4 !!
To be such a short guy (Sarko is Napolean's height - 5ft 6" / 1.65 m ! ), he must have incredibly long legs.... No wonder he was "out of breath"...
But seriously, if he WAS a bit "tipsy", why not just admit it? Sarko claims he does not drink alcohol, so even just one glass of wine, drunk purely for politeness sake, would probably be enough for him to become "tipsy". I speak from experience.... So what's the big deal? He is still what France needs to sort out all the problems in this country.

Sigrid, Paris, France

Will "out of breath" now replace "tired and emotional" as the euphemism of choice for 'bourre/d'?

kate, london,

what do you expect, he is proving himself to the world which is the big economical powers, however he is a nice fellow, what he can do for the nation remains to be seeing, i think nothing the complexity of the world is to confuse for him. therefore the best thing to do is to help the guy and protect him, as it is the economical power that rules our existence and they are not very kind. therefore hope all goes well and we do not have another regret that will cost more than expected.

bremont, paris, france

I don't think Sarko was drunk but even if he was I don't care. He's just what France needs, and I can't wait to watch him kick some serious French butt!!! Finally there's a man of action in office and not some tired prune living off the people's taxes.

MAW, Paris, France

I watched the video several times and can only come to the conclusion
a) he opened his government with a lie
b) like Mr Bush he wore one of those little badges
c) unlike Mr Bush he can't claim the hidden earpiece wasn't there

David Stanley, Gourge, France

I watched several videos of our President and it seemed there was something wrong,the slurr,excessive smiling,it looked like the end of a party where everyone has to do his speech drunk or not.Maybe it was the climate(he's not accustomed to international meetings as the President of France...).
I didn't vote for him,didn't like his tics and hectic behaviour but I have to admit he acted(selecting his team of ministers)with the utmost cleverness mixing people from his UMP with some "socialists"and some from the center.
Whatever the videos show I must admit Sarko is right for the heavy job ahead of him.
Hoping you'll publish my little say.
Thanks. JEAN

delteil, Eaux-Bonnes, FRANCE

Hmmmm.... and I thought Sarko was supposed to be a health freak, running every day. Surely he would NOT be "out of breath" by taking the stairs two at a time...?

Sigrid, Paris, France

I am waiting for the day when a Politician says: "I was not out of breath, just drunk".
I won't hold MY breath, don't want to get too euphoric.

Simon, Leeds, U.K.