You are completely right. But that was not what were talking about. When Hollande said he wanted to be "normal" he meant "less snobbish", or more precisely "not like Sarkozy". However, both Hollande and Sarkozy were "reactive", in the media making statements non-stop. Hollande organised a panicky press statement on a Sunday evening, during the apex of the "affaire Leonarda" (explanation for non-French : 'should this 16-year old get to stay in France').

The point that GP was making, was that perhaps a president should not be the only one in the spotlight, and that his interventions should be more "rare". And I simply pointed out that a similar discussion had taken place in France.