It was the talk of the weekend in France: can Dominique Strauss-Kahn make a political comeback, if he can clear his name in New York? But even if he cannot, the events of the past few weeks have changed the political and mental landscape of France.

The events of the past days have taken the French aback: those who had finally come to accept that the former International Monetary Fund managing director might, after all, be guilty of the charges of attempted rape, brought against him by a hotel maid, are now reassessing their stand. Some have had to take back their initial strong words against DSK, as he is popularly known.

The diminishing credibility of the plaintiff has now opened the possibility of Mr Strauss-Kahn emerging free and clean after a case that could have seen him sentenced to a maximum of 74 years in jail. But over the six weeks since his arrest and detention, the French political elite, particularly on the left, have overcome their initial shock and begun to reorganise for