September 11, 2004
THE SWINE WHO TRIED COMING IN FROM THE COLD:
German president reaches out to U.S. (Jordan Bonfante, 9/10/04, UPI)
Exactly 10 years ago, the extensive American military garrison that had faced off against the Soviets throughout the Cold War, mothballed its Abram tanks, kissed the girls goodbye, and vacated southwestern Berlin for good. Under a September drizzle, tens of thousands of flag-waving Berliners lined the streets to watch them go. To this day, several miles of their blockhouse billeting along the Clay Allee, as well as the oversized former U.S. embassy compound across from Truman Platz, still stand forlornly empty.Gone but not forgotten. On the grounds of the American Academy in Berlin on the lakeshore of scenic Wannsee on Thursday, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder used the anniversary of that allied exit to express an effusive historical thank you. He also used it to make his latest attempt at some trans-Atlantic fence-mending. He pledged a series of noncombatant contributions that Germany is willing to make to help rebuild Iraq -- beginning with the promise to forgive a "substantial" portion of Iraq's debt repayments. [...]
On Iraq, Schroeder pledged that Germany would cooperate in a number of noncombatant ways once the security situation in under control. "We all have an interest in winning the peace and a secure and stable future in Iraq and in the entire region -- and that goes for all of us, whatever we believed about whether the war was necessary or not," he said. "In cooperation with the Iraqi interim government, we have agreed in the future to train Iraqi police and also Iraqi soldiers. As soon as the security situation allows, we will also begin with civilian reconstruction aid. We also want to promote reconstruction by being prepared, within the framework of the Paris Club (of creditors) to forego a substantial repayment of Iraqi financial commitments." He indicated that he was fully confident that Germany would get a fair shake when reconstruction contracts were handed out.
In his speech, Schroeder conspicuously played down his vehement opposition to the U.S. war in Iraq or the long Atlantic crisis that followed.
George Bush never did a twelve-step program but he understands instinctively one of the most important lessons they teach--eventually everyone changes their own behavior to suit the person who's dysfunctional. The world's only superpower was similarly free to act unilaterally (to dysfunction) secure in the knowledge that others would adjust themselves to the new reality. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 11, 2004 07:32 AM
Schroeder is flailing around for something.
He just lost the Saarland by 16, which means he could go down in Nordrhein-Westfalen by 25. His party is in tatters, divided between Greens, Old Labor, and Third Way types.
Blair is Clinton without the libido(he is at least as greedy as Beelzebubba)and Schroeder is Clinton without the brain.
Posted by: Bart at September 11, 2004 09:24 AMSix weeks ago, in an interview with WELT, one of Germany's leading newspapers, Bernard Lewis flatly stated that as current trends stand, Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century: it will be the new "Maghreb" (Arabic for "the West").
I expected more of a hysterical response from Germany's bien-pensants. Hardly a peep out of them. They ignored it, or they're all in Tuscany and can't be bothered.
The funny thing is, while this dismal prospect stares Germans in the face, political debate is at the same time becoming more lively.
At Politikforum.de, you have
And the oddest thing is, the more this looks like an unhealthy brew of antagonisms, paradoxically at the same time there is something vibrant and irrepressible about it. Most surprisingly to me, the proportion of "Blame the Jews for Everything" posts has gone down considerably from accustomed German levels, to a level similar to what it is in the U.S.
Waaay off-topic:
"When Jane Fairfax lost her job as a successful journalist, she found she had another skill... as a dominatrix. Here, she reveals what it feels like to whip, torture and humiliate total strangers for money."
Posted by: Eugene S. at September 11, 2004 10:01 AM"On Iraq, Schroeder pledged that Germany would cooperate in a number of noncombatant ways once the security situation in under control.[...] "In cooperation with the Iraqi interim government, we have agreed in the future to train Iraqi police and also Iraqi soldiers.""
Notice that they will let the US get the "security situation" under control before they do anything. Meaning, they won't do any fighting. And just what skills will they be able to teach the Iraqi army? Creative non-violence?
Posted by: Robert Duquette at September 11, 2004 10:16 AMEugene:
An Islamic Germany will be an improvement--easier to democratize Islam than remoralize secularists.
Posted by: oj at September 11, 2004 11:02 AM"the liberation of Vienna in 1683 will have been in vain".
Posted by: Eugene S. at September 11, 2004 11:26 AM... of course, according to Nietzsche and Orrin, that Rubicon has already been crossed.
Posted by: Eugene S. at September 11, 2004 11:41 AMEugene:
You correctly anticipated what I just did with that story above.
Posted by: oj at September 11, 2004 11:48 AMLike the landlord said: "Day late and a dollar short."
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at September 13, 2004 01:26 AM