Second, “pedophile” reaches into the strangely continuous discovery of pedophile networks in Europe (which somehow always seems to involve Belgium). This has been fairly high-profile for a few years now, and yeah, I could definitely see that mess being conflated with Mitterrand’s not-entirely-prudent choice of words.

Third, if Mitterrand didn’t violate Thai law, then the rest of the question would be just how old were the guys he was with in Thailand. Were they of legal age under French law? There are plenty of Asians, Australians and Europeans who go to Thailand to get laid, so some of those criticizing Mitterrand best beware they touch off a US-style investigation of all their dirty laundry.

Sounds like the convergence of two or more sex-related matters, and it’s kinda funny to watch because it’s showing an unusually nosy and prudish aspect of French culture–remember that when Francois Mitterrand died, his mistress and their child were present at the state funeral, and nobody questioned it.

Now, if you want a picture of how some people go to Southeast Asia to get some underage ass, go look up Gary Glitter on Wikipedia. The man’s been kicked out of three countries and narrowly avoided a life prison sentence. That’s a pedophile. Mitterrand doesn’t seem to be in the same league. Not yet at least.