'Napoleon' Sarkozy Bans Tall Bodyguards

Inch-challenged prez 'doesn't want supermen' near
Posted Jun 8, 2010 2:07 AM CDT
'Napoleon' Sarkozy Bans Tall Bodyguards
Bodyguards help Nicolas Sarkozy get his coat on.   (AP Photo/CTK, Michal Dolezal)

Tall people shouldn't bother applying to join Nicolas Sarkozy's security detail, a source in the French police says. Taller bodyguards have the advantage of being able to spot attackers in a crowd more easily, but "there's no point recruiting supermen" because the French president, who is notoriously sensitive about his height, doesn't want "large-sized" candidates, the source says.

At 5-foot-5, Sarkozy is shorter than Napoleon, the Telegraph notes. The French leader has been spotted standing on tiptoe amid gatherings of world leaders and stood on a box to appear shoulder to shoulder with President Obama at a ceremony commemorating the D-Day landings. His wife, the 5-foot-10 former model Carla Bruni, generally wears flats, while the president is believed to use lifts in his shoes.

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