French Media Reaction and Regurgitation

The AP is reporting that the French media appears indifferent to Landis' doping scandal.  L'Equipe's editorial "steered clear of directly targeting Landis, saying only that 'cheating comes at a high price.'"  The AP seems confused as to why the French aren't turning the Tour's darkest moment into a circus.  The last time a tour winner was disqualified for cheating was in 1904 when the top 4 finishers were caught cutting corners.  No winners have ever been stripped for doping.  The answer for the "muted" response is that, at least in their eyes, Landis got caught.  The intense scrutiny on Lance Armstrong over the last seven years was because they were trying so hard to prove that he was doping.  Conspiracy theories, bullied silence, and threats of legal action on Armstrong's side were all woven together to hint, imply, and insinuate that Armstrong had to be doping to stay at the top for so long.  Now, they have a new winner, another American, and the assumption for doping is ever present.  But Landis was not as rich, careful, and cautious as Armstrong was, and did not even consider that he needed to maintain his guard.  So, Landis was caught, either because he was not careful enough in dosing his doping regimen, or because he was not careful enough in trusting the french lab to handle his tests properly and securely.  The game is over for l'Americain, time to turn their attention to someone else they can tear down.