Paris is abuzz over weekend Obama visit

PARIS (AP) — Not since the Kennedy era has an American first lady — and in tow, her presidential husband — been so eagerly awaited in Paris.

Will they hobnob with their French counterparts — President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy — as the Kennedys did with the de Gaulles during their mythic 1961 visit? Or will they cut loose, Clinton-style, for a spontaneous sightseeing session?

Officials on both sides of the Atlantic were short on specifics about the American first couple’s upcoming weekend in the City of Light.

The White House has spoken openly only about the D-Day commemorations in Normandy.

But French newspapers have speculated the Obamas — and possibly their daughters, Sasha and Malia — will dine atop the Eiffel Tower.

Located on the second level of the 1,024-foot-tall tower, the Jules Verne restaurant boasts commanding views over Paris and a menu by one of the world’s most celebrated chefs, Alain Ducasse. A restaurant spokeswoman declined to comment on the possibility the Obamas would dine there, citing client privacy.

The French press is also atwitter over whether there will be a rematch of the “duel of charm” that pitted Michelle Obama in a glamor contest against Bruni-Sarkozy during the Obamas’ first official visit to France in April.

That fashion face-off, on the sidelines of a NATO summit in the French border city of Strasbourg, was widely considered a tie, with both first ladies’ wardrobes garnering praise by international observers.

It’s still not clear whether Mrs. Obama and Bruni-Sarkozy, an Italian-born supermodel-turned-singer, will meet up this time around, but observers were already speculating about what each might wear for such an occasion.