Not surprisingly , Mr . Sarkozy has come under severe attack from President Jacques Chirac , who has denounced the speech as " lamentable . " Other French politicians are predicting that he will become Mr . Bush '' s " next poodle . " How Mr . Sarkozy '' s approach goes down with French voters remains to be seen . Furthermore , however you want to describe the French - U . S . relationship , it is unlikely that " poodle " will be a very accurate term , given the deep cultural differences between France and the United States .