OUR LAST EFFORT AT NATION-BUILDING:

The German Problem (William Safire, September 19, 2002, NY Times)

At a meeting in the Axel Springer building in Hamburg on Aug. 27 with about 30 American friends of Germany, the defense minister who had been recently booted out of Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's cabinet for financial irregularities was asked why Germany was so loudly opposed to President Bush's campaign to oust Saddam Hussein.

Rudolf Scharping reported that he had answered that very question in a Schroder cabinet meeting: it was all about the Jews. Bush was motivated to overthrow Saddam by his need to curry favor with what Scharping called "a powerful--perhaps overly powerful--Jewish lobby" in the coming U.S. elections. Jeb Bush needed their votes in Florida as George Pataki did in New York, and Congressional redistricting made Jewish votes central to control of Congress. Germany, the discredited minister said proudly to his discomfited audience, had rejected such pandering.

The Turks can't take over Germany fast enough to suit us. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 19, 2002 3:36 PM