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| Schroeder, Bush ’put Iraq in past’ |
| 2004-02-27 |
| WASHINGTON -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and U.S. President George W. Bush say their differences over the war in Iraq are in the past. The fish started to smell badly, was better to bury it. The two leaders sat side-by-side in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, smiling and appearing relaxed as they took questions from reporters. You didn’t expect they would be punching each other in public? Bush proclaimed that "relations are good" between the two countries despite bitterness over Iraq. What’s "headache" in French again? "We have differences -- in the past," Bush said. "But there’s nothing wrong with friends having differences. We’re both committed to putting the differences behind us and moving forward." Must have read my comment yesterday :-) Schroeder, who was fiercely opposed to the war, declared his first White House visit in two years a success. That was easy because just being there must be a success. "We talked not about the past," Schroeder said. "We both agreed that we have to talk about the present and the future now." A German politician replied to a pestering journalist: "Why should I care about the bullshit I said yesterday?" Neither leader mentioned a brewing dispute over the U.S. dollar’s weakness against the euro. A bit of a red herring: Bury a problem by raising another that both can then be willing to solve... costs Bush nothing to say that he favors a strong dollar... in the end the markets decide. In a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations in Chicago on Thursday, Schroeder warned that world trade could be harmed by further shifts in the exchange rate. He meant "German trade" of course. "Major imbalances in the global economy and fluctuations in exchange rates give us cause for serious concerns," he said. I remember times when Germany survived a dollar that had plunged to DM 1,37 (€ 0,70). Today the dollar is at € 0,81... so chill. [...] Before leaving for Washington, Schroeder told CNN that tension between the two countries no longer existed. "There is nothing to patch up, because we have a good working atmosphere like people who know that they have to represent their countries and know there are sometimes different points of view, must have," Schroeder said. There is something to patch up, fences to mend and Schroeder to be confined to the dustbin of history. Work in progress. Last year a bitter divide opened between the two nations, halting communication between Bush and Schroeder for months at a time. Not between the U.S. and Germany though, because not everyone was as stupid as Schroeder. Cooperation never really suffered at mid-level, and those people do the important work. Then two months ago the thorny issue was raised of who would win lucrative primary contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq. Germany is not on that list because of its opposition to the war. Subject to change I guess. Schroeder said he expects to discuss ways Germany can help in Iraq, but his refusal to send troops there still stands. Ok, I guess there are many ways to help, just start yet! (Some more free beer for troops for starters? Analysts say the relationship between Germany and the United States is changing fundamentally. Jeffrey Gedmin, of the Aspen Institute, said: "With the end of the Cold War and September 11, both sides for different reasons and similar reasons have been renegotiating the relationship. "It is not all or nothing, it’s not ’we don’t need you any more and you don’t need us any more,’ it is ’we need you sometimes in different ways for different things.’ For many Germans who grew up after World War II, the United States was Germany’s best friend. Now, because of the conflict in the Gulf, a psychological disengagement is seemingly taking place." The Aspen Institute is an organization I fully support. CNN’s Stephanie Halasz said: "The U.S. perception of Germany appears to be improving, perhaps because the war is now over." A Gallup poll this month says only 26 percent of Americans view Germany unfavorably, down from 44 percent last year. Was that before or after some good bottles of Bavarian beer? |
| Posted by:True German Ally |
| #7 Poloticians - gotta love and hate em!!! IMHO afterliving 7 years in Germany- Most Germans are closer to American reaction to the Politicos than the news portrays. Germans as a whole know that Saddamneeded to go - just that their wimp Schroeder doesn't have the balls for it. The phrench can just piss off- let Fisher make some decisions and get Germany doing as the German public decides, notthe politico whipping dogs. German public knows what needsto be done, just need to correctthe wrong choice in a Schroeder election and replace him with someone with a backbone - kind of like the refreshing replacement ofClinton with Bush! |
| Posted by: Weatherman 2004-2-27 10:26:59 PM |
| #6 1) the war is NOT over, boys. It's just shifted gears. 2) Somebody beat up that Fischer twerp, wouldja? |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-2-27 6:31:47 PM |
| #5 Hmmm. There is much here to consider - it'll take time to absorb and understand precisely where he falls in the continuum of responding to the threat of the jihadis. I already see more caution than I can accept. Perhaps if he'd spent a year or two on the ground in Saudi... Heh, this will be good. I'll shoe-horn some comments about it to you in a future post - staying on-topic in RB rates as suspicious behavior, anyway! Thanks! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-27 6:03:45 PM |
| #4 Here you go The Greens have come along way in 20 years. Ok the leftist faction still exists but hell... even the CDU has made first moves on them. Fischer has always been the staunchest "realo" of the Greens. In foreign policy they (sometimes) have views far more acceptable than those of the SPD (ok, not the lefties of course). |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-2-27 5:31:18 PM |
| #3 Hmmm... Interesting info on Fisher. I'm very slow to accept him, primarily due to his past, but also his Green Party politics - to me they're loonies of the same, if not even more virulent, ilk as in the US. I'll google for Fischer's comments and see if I can find an English translation. Thx! I completely agree with your observations regards the future relationship between Germany and the US - and Phrawnce's situation. I hope you guys drop Shroeder in the next round! We have a great future together, IMHO. And if Prez Putty will stop pandering to his own ego, who knows what the US & Germany could accomplish with the Russians and their Siberian resources? I keep waiting for this obviously advantageous marriage of interests and assets to occur... Re: Phrawnce - That last round of staged anti-US rhetoric, thinly and disingenuously disguised as outrage over US anti-Phrench rhetoric, cemented their position in the cellar of US interests for years to come. The Phrench public had better get a grip on reality soon - before they have a complete meltdown - economically, socially, politically -- sheesh! What's NOT at risk in their current self-administered coup de grace? Thx! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-27 5:20:47 PM |
| #2 I don't "like" Fischer but he's done a better job than Schroeder. He does believe in good transatlantic relations. He wasn't happy about Schroeder's radical stance in the Iraq issue (Fischer would never have opposed the war openly, he would have found a way not to obstruct it and send a few doctors and ambulances instead of troops). It was Schroeder's ignorance in foreign policy issues that could be exploited by the French (Mitterand or Chirac could never have pulled this off with Kohl) and because Schroeder gave Fischer no diplomatic wiggle space this led to the fall out. Fischer was one of the staunchest defenders of the U.S. decision to go into Afghanistan (wasn't easy to convince his Green party then). And if you listen to what Fischer said at the Munich Security Conference of 2004, it will remind you very much of that "Greater Plan for the Middle East" that the U.S. is proposing. Yes I think Americans and Germans share way to much common ground to be divided by stupid politicians. Anyway, that visit benefitted both: Bush can show that he didn't alienate one of America's most important allies (and the 3rd biggest economic power in the world), and Schroeder will return and tell his party: See, I didn't give away my principles. Bottom line: The French want to be rivals of the U.S. (and drag the EU into it), the Germans will prefer to be partners. In the end, German realism will carry the day. And lets face it, the French know this. That explains the gloomyness in Paris. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-2-27 4:52:26 PM |
| #1 Lol! Your in-line comments leave little remaining snarkiness! Since I don't drink, however, you guys (those who do appreciate the good stuff) can keep the beer! This is a win-win for the US & Germany, regardless of the office-holders. As you pointed out, it was Shroeder (and I'd add Fisher, though you seem to like him, sorry!) who manipulated the issues for political gain - I would guess that there are few difference between the avg German and the avg American. As was pointed out by Greenspan yesterday, with no political downside I must add, Social Security will bite the US due to the Baby Boomer Bubble... so we both have entitlement issues. That said, I wouldn't trade places with Germany, though! The days and years ahead will make the differences there far more stark - and it will be much harder to solve Germany's. Good luck with that one! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-2-27 4:23:01 PM |