News of New York Turnaround Stuns France and Reshapes Debate.

PARIS -- The release of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Friday from house arrest in New York represented a startling turnaround, sharpening the focus of political debate here on a central and potent issue: with the weakening of sexual assault charges against him, will he be able to resume a potentially stellar career that could lead to the presidency of his country? The question divided opinion as much among Mr. Strauss-Kahn's own Socialist Party followers as those on the right. Moments after his release, the party spokesman, Benoit Hamon, told reporters that the court's decision had come as an ''intense relief.'' Beyond that, the calculation likely to absorb party strategists revolved around the degree to which Mr. Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, had been damaged by weeks of disclosures and accusations that, even days ago, seemed to have drawn an abrupt and indelible line across his ambitions and his career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]