Schroeder has pulled of a startling come-back victory after he had all but but been pronounced dead. Apparently one of the big reasons he managed to surge in the end was a strongly critical stance towards Bush’s Iraq policies which proved popular with German voters.
Now I don’t think this will necessarily have a big immediate impact but this could create long-run problems for Bush in Europe and the world.
The bottom line is that there is a lot of popular disapproval of Bush in Europe. Schroeder has shown that this can be tapped into solid electoral appeal. Other European politicians will take note. Even if there isn’t anyone other politician immediately able to capitalize, ruling parties will now try to cover their left flanks and prevent someone else from pulling a Schroeder.
I don’t agree completely with Schroeder on Iraq but I think his position is a lot less objectionable than Bush’s on a whole lot issue ranging from Iraq to global warming. I think Bush, far more than Schroeder, is indulging in irresponsible political pandering of various domestic lobbies ranging from the steel lobby to the Jewish lobby to his own conservative base.
In any case the point is that if the US indulges in an arrogant and unilateral policy the rest of the world won’t sit quiet for long. Sooner or later politicians around the world will respond in kind and America will lose allies and influence.
I believe it is Senator Helms who is floating around the idea that we should pull our troops out of Germany, and station them in a more US-friendly nation. (somewhere on the Med, I would guess, with easy Mid-East access)
In the face of this ludicrous Germanic whining, I would whole-heartedly support such a move. Some other nation is no doubt far more deserving of the US billions then Germany.
As my Grandfather used to say, “All of the brave Germans died in the war [WW2]” Granted, grandpa drank quite a bit, but still, when faced with the gutless Germans of today, it is hard to see how he was wrong.
It’s not like America is asking Germany to actually do anything. But they seem to want to whine to no end regarding American policies, which will ultimately help them as well!
That’s a nice hysterical strawman, Guin. What nuclear war? Has anyone brought up a nuclear war with Germany?
Sorry, but I don’t give a fig about what the Germans or the Europeans think. Quite frankly, I can think of no group who has caused more global instability and who accepts less of the responsibility for it than Europe. The less we are involved with them politically, the better.