This week, the heavens opened and poured on the nation's national fete, Bastille Day.

The day began with highly embarrassing revelations by a French satirical newspaper that the unpopular president, Francois Hollande, had a staff hairdresser making $11,000 a month at a time of national austerity. This was a genuine 'let them eat cake' moment.

That same evening, a frightful attack occurred in Nice. A demented 31-year old man of Tunisian origin, Mohammed Bouhel, who had just lost his job and then his family through divorce,  turned his truck into a mass murder weapon.

Bouhel sent his large truck down Nice's famed seaside Promenade des Anglais, mowing down people celebrating Bastille Day. As of this writing, 86 victims died and scores are gravely injured, including many children. Francereeled in horror.

With exquisitely bad timing, President Hollande had just that day ended the state of emergency that was imposed after the November 2015 Paris massacre. He quickly reimposed it for another three months and brought France to near war footing by summoning military, police, and security service reserves.