He says French officials are smarting from the expected imminent loss of their cherished AAA rating.
But they have been smarting since Skategate, and those two incidents were the final straw.
Now for its part, Argentina is still smarting from its economic meltdown in 2000.
Japan is still smarting over the Kyoto Protocol in which it feels it was unfairly treated.
Investors, still smarting from the bear market, would ideally like to see a few more public executions.
McIlroy's side are still smarting from a 5-0 home defeat by Spain in their last friendly international.
She's hypersensitive and utterly insensitive at the same time, her obvious smarts crushed under years of smarting.
And the government is already smarting from criticism that it has failed to control rising welfare bills.
The blind lawyer in dark glasses is just one of millions of ordinary people smarting under arbitrary rule.
Of course, Mr McCain, still smarting from the bitter primary campaign, says he does not want the job.
Carolina was still smarting from a 0-4 mark against the Islanders last season.
When I drop by, he is still smarting from the environmentalists' scathing attacks.
McGeady said he was still smarting from his penalty miss as Celtic dropped two points against the SPL basement side.
The SEC, still smarting from its failure to unearth Mr Madoff's alleged tricks, began probing Stanford as far back as 2006.
Meanwhile, investors in America and abroad including the sort of pension funds that have recently stocked up on their hedge-fund investments are smarting.
If you are smarting over a 40% whack in your stock portfolio over the past year, take consolation from the government's plight.
The ending has a mournful air: the team returned to a studio still smarting from a bitter strike, and then to war.
Mr Rajoy, smarting from his election defeat, was happy to support them.
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Retailers are still smarting from the brutal beating they took in 2008.
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Japan's prime minister, Naoto Kan, smarting from criticism for the climb-down, demanded that China pay for the repair of the damaged boats.
But players smarting from his tongue and temper greatly admired his musicianship.
Graeme Smith opted to bat first after winning the toss, with his side still smarting from their 1-0 defeat in the Test series.
Rossi is still smarting and sore from losing the title last year and I think this year's challenge will centre around those two.
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Still smarting from the loss of 454, he made sure this time to retain a supervoting share majority so he couldn't be forced out.
The French, still smarting over the loss of the European Central Bank to Frankfurt, may demand that such a body be located in Paris.
At the least, I would hope that districts make sure to drop pay-to-play fees if and when the budget pain stops smarting so much.
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So hoteliers in Petra and the Red Sea resorts are still smarting, while the casinos and brothels of Beirut and Cairo are doing fine.
They are smarting at having been shut out of the Contact Group, and will be the surest net gainers from a pooling of international clout.
Hashim, an avid collector of antiques, is also smarting over a scandal involving smuggled Javanese statues that he bought from a Dutch art dealer in 2006.
Many easterners, already smarting at what they perceive as west German condescension toward them, are indignant that they are once again being singled out for criticism.
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