We are just coming of the Iowa primaries and wait for New Hampshire. The Republican field is thinning but the voters seem to be in favor of "none of the above" . My bet is that, the Republican party always chooses the candidate whose turn it is to be the nominee. In this case, Willard Mitt Romney.
In France, the presidential election is much closer: May 2012.
President Sarkozy is less than sure of having a second term. Just like in the US where the minority accuses Obama of being responsible for the parlous state of the economy, although the Wall Street Crash, both wars and even 9/1/1 happened under GW Bush's watch, the minority in France blames Sarkozy for the high unemployment and the debt.  Both being the direct result of the Wall Street crash.
Worse, a lot of the social laws that have aggravated the financial situation of France have been passed by the very Socialists who want to get rid of Sarkozy. The Socialist party has had its primary. Francois Hollande, a bland moderate has been chosen. He already has several nicknames including "pedalo captain" and "flanby" [the name of a popular vanilla jello for kids]. The Green party would be an uncomfortable partner, requiring the closing of all nuclear power plants ( 80% of French energy source). Unfortunately, there is a worse solution: marine Le Pen. An extreme right version of the tea Party whose father nearly missed the presidency in 2007. Bad economic situations cause populist politicians to be believed by a desperate populace. Marine Le Pen in France, Sarah Palin and Co. in the US.