BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said on Saturday he deeply regretted "exaggerated remarks" critical of U.S. moves against Iraq that soured his relations with President Bush...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._schroeder_dc_4

I hate politicians - especially spineless ones.

XXXManager I am with you. I would rather him stick to his posistion....

There is nothing that succedes like success!! Even in Germany!

All politicians have at least these two basic responsibilities.

1) self survival (i.e. doing the popular thing)
2) protecting their own national interets.

Germany and France both fucked up politically and underestimated the will of the US and Britain to finish the job. they rolled the Iraqi dice and it came up snake eyes! Russia too.

Look at their economies right now. Germany went from bad to worse. France is not doing much better. both have been warned by the EU for their budget deficits and other various violations of EU fiscal policy. Russia is claiming 6% growth in GDP for the last quarter, but they are still far from a success story.

They thought they could group together and protect over 200 Billion in Iraqi debts owed to them as well as oil development contracts promised to them through the UN Security Council. Now they all lost both AND are not in a position to demand a role in rebuilding Iraq either, which is another 200 Billion plus project.

Thats why they demand the UN play a central role in rebuilding Iraq today.. because they have no other influence otherwise.

lifes a bitch.

They all have a different tone now because they have no more political cards to play. they are broke, isolated on this subject and the UN has been seriously discredited as being a mechanism to provide resolution to anything.

Then to really screw with them, the US is pushing them to forgive the 10's of Billions of Dollars that Iraq owes them... and they still can't figure out a way to say no without looking like shitheads.

I like what Schroeder said. Germany is important to the US. Better allies than not.



Last edited by Colin at Apr 21 2003, 06:35 AM

Ironicly JR if they all played ball with us they would have had a voice in a new IRAQ and access to new oil contracts and reconstruction money. Russia beeing the weakest of the 3, i was expecting them to support the US as they had the most to lose. And probably could have gotten some economic aid or new investments from the US. Id say Russia got invaded and fucked by Germans and Frrench AGAIN! Funny how history repeats itself.