Nicolas Sarkozy made it known late last November: he wished to go even further along the road to openness.

Note: A reminder that "openness" refers to the hiring of members of the opposition Left, something Sarkozy has indulged in since taking office.

Now he has done just that with the hiring of ex-Maoist Marin Karmitz to whom he has entrusted the new Council for Artistic creation, or the promotion of Eric Besson to the post of Minister of Immigration. Those who had hoped that the president would rapidly turn the page on openness will have to admit the truth. The movement, far from running out of steam, is growing.

Regarding his intimate circle:

"I will always vote for the Left, as my parents have always done," declared Carla Bruni, between the two rounds of the presidential election. This was six months before she met Sarkozy, and nine months before marrying him. She is more discreet now on her commitments. But her sister, actress Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi continues to fight for the Left. The sisters fought notably for the former militant of the Red Brigade, Marina Petrella, who refused to be extradited to italy. It was Carla who rushed to Petrella's bedside last October to tell her that France had given up the idea of expelling her.

The article then discusses two of his closest friends: Jacques Attali, about whom I have written many times, and who was a close adviser of François Mitterand, and Jacques Séguéla, a publicity agent and public relations expert who worked for Mitterand and who has been Sarkozy's friend for 25 years. It was at a private dinner at Séguéla's home that Sarkozy met Carla Bruni.

The "éminences roses" (pink advisers):

Jack Lang, former minister of culture under François Mitterand was called on to be part of Sarkozy's commission on institutional reform. When he became the only socialist who voted to enact reforms to the Constitution he lost most of his former friends in the PS (from which he had resigned anyway).

Claude Allègre, former minister of education in the cabinet of Lionel Jospin, has not stopped proclaiming his admiration for Sarkozy. Allègre had published a scathing attack on Ségolène Royal, and has said he is always ready and willing to assume a "technical" role in Sarkozy's administration.

Richard Descoings, head of the School of Political Science ("Sciences-Po"), who worked for Jack Lang, has been named to head a commission on reforming high-schools.

Hubert Védrine, chief of staff of Elysée under Mitterand, former foreign minister under Jospin, refused the post of foreign minister that eventually went to Bernard Kouchner, headed the report on France and globalization, initiated in 2007.

Frédéric Mitterand, nephew of the former president, a man from the world of television and cinema, was appointed to head the prestigious Villa Médicis in Rome. He won't speak about his ties to either Sarkozy or to his uncle.

Note: Founded in 1666, the Academy of France in Rome, housed in the Villa Médicis, is a vast cultural and artistic institution, dedicated to promoting and developing young artists in the fields of music, art, sculpture and architecture. Until 1971, it was part of the School of Fine Arts. The interruption of May '68 resulted in the Academy being transferred to the authority of the Ministry of Culture. The curriculum was later expanded to include photography, cinema, video and cuisine.

Georges-Marc Benamou, to whom socialist "philosopher" and jet-setter Bernard-Henri Lévy had confided: "If you are appointed as an adviser, it will be less for your qualities than because you represent a piece of the Mitterandian holy cross." Benamou had called Mitterand his "symbolic grand-father", had founded in 1985 the left-wing monthly Globe, and had not hesitated to accept the post of cultural adviser to Elysée offered to him by Sarkozy as soon as he was elected. After a year of warfare with Minister of Culture Christine Albanel, he left his post and failed to get the consolation prize - Villa Médicis. But he and Sarkozy continue to maintain contact.

The Businessmen:

Bernard Tapie, former minister of urban affairs under Mitterand, does not hide his admiration for Sarkozy and is suspected of benefiting from presidential protection in his legal troubles with Crédit Lyonnais.

Marin Karmitz, the latest recruit, a former Maoist and long time socialist, producer of 90 movies, has defended Sarkozy's reforms in telecommunications and even said that "Nicolas Sarkozy perhaps saved France Télévisions", for which he was rewarded with a post on the new Council for Artistic Creation, presided over jointly by Sarkozy and Albanel.

Guillaume Pepy, considered a socialist ever since his collaboration with Martine Aubry (current chairman of the PS), was chosen by Sarkozy to head the French National Railways (SNCF), replacing Anne-Marie Idrac.

The Ministers, First Pillars of Openness:

Martin Hirsch, Eric Besson, Jean-Marie Bockel, Fadela Amara, Bernard Kouchner.

There will be more on Eric Besson, a former PS member, who now heads the Ministry of Immigration.

It appears that Sarkozy has revived the Mitterand administration, much as Obama has restored to power the Clinton administration. But with Obama, it is not surprising, except that it shows he had no new ideas of his own. With Sarkozy, there was (at first) surprise and even amazement at his addiction to socialist appointments. Thus we see that Sarkozy is subjugated by the Mitterand mystique, rather than by any desire to set the country on a new course. During his election campaign he spoke constantly of "rupture" with the past, but the only rupture was with the last shred of Gaullism as represented by his own UMP party.