Sometimes, the story's all in the spin. Libyan state leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi is probably enjoying the Parisian winter morning as this is being written one the second day of his official visit to France - nice work if you can get it, n'est-ce pas?

As for what the visit is about per se, well, that's in the eye of the beholder. Aside from overseeing huge business deals such as the sale of a combined 21 Airbus airplanes to Libyan Airlines and Afriqiyah Airways, they're also, um, working out even huger business deals! Some 49 French military aircraft worth €4.5 billion ($6.6 billion) are on their way to Libya, and the two nations will reportedly undertake construction of a nuclear reactor in Qaddafi's country.

Why? According to official Chinese press, Sarkozy is moving the euros Qaddafi's way as "rewards for Tripoli's improved behavior."

AlJazeera.net played up Sarkozy's defense against critiquing from French secretary of state for human rights who questioned Qaddafi's trés ironique touchdown on French soil on World Human Rights Day.

And the New York Times sanctimoniously labeled the visit as symbolizing "redemption" for Qaddafi.

Quote of the Qaddafi visit, day one? Sarkozy's defining his critics on human rights as "idle, coffee-sipping elites." Mon dieu!