Last night was night seven of the riots in Paris and it seems the impact is now felt at the highest echelons of power in France:

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has seized control of the government's response from his rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, in what appears to be an effort to assuage anger in the country's North African population over Mr. Sarkozy's blunt authoritative style. Mr. Sarkozy, who had raised temperatures with tough remarks this week, did not speak Wednesday at the government's weekly question-and-answer session before the legislature.

An attempt to appease the rioting immigrants? Or seizing the opportunity to sideline Mr. Sarkozy? Whatever it is, and it is probably both, it is hardly a sign that a long-term solution is in the works.

And it is not just the French government that is clueless, local imams seeking to stem the tide of violence in their communities faced a barrage of rocks in response to their calls for restraint. The latter reflects the state of desparation in dealing with disgruntled Muslim youths: they not only have disconnected from society, figures of authority in their own community have long lost the ability to influence them in any fashion. Anyone wondering where the next generation of suicide bombers will come from, well you might fight them in Clichy-sous-Bois.