How many nuclear attack submarines are there in the French navy? No, this isn't a joke. Nor a trick question. But you'd be forgiven for thinking so.

In a live interview Monday, Nicolas Sarkozy said, "Four." In fact, there are ten nuclear subs altogether: six of them attack subs, four of them ballistic missile subs. But what's striking is not the arithmetic; it's that the Gaullist candidate's little mistake comes on the heels of a similar gaffe last month by his rival Ségolène Royal. (When she was asked for the number of ballistic missile subs, she answered, "One.") Sarkozy's party then did its best to torpedo the woman's credentials, issuing a press release headlined "Defense: Ségolène Royal's lack of awareness is more than disturbing."

In the same interview yesterday on RMC radio, Interior Minister Sarkozy seemed lost when asked a basic fact about Al Qaeda: Is the Islamist terrorist network Sunni or Shiite. "We can't characterize Al Qaeda that way," said Sarkozy. "Al Qaeda is a sphere of influence." At which point the interviewer noted, "All of the leaders of Al Qaeda are Sunni."

Whether Royal indulges in a revenge pounce will be a test of her "no personal attacks" rule. But veteran Socialist Jack Lang, a Royal campaign advisor, was quick to jump. "Instead of giving lessons, arrogantly, constantly, to the Socialists for trifles, Mr. Sarkozy might be better off hitting the books."


Photo of graffiti on an agriculture fair poster near the Sorbonne by Tracy McNicoll