It would be a damn shame if Schroeder goes, Merkel is a bunch of empty promises who supports Washington......why would anyone trust a person who supports the Bush administration and the Iraq war....what if she gets Germany directly involved? The unemployment numbers during Schroeder's term in office wasn't completely his fault either, it could and might very well happen to Merkel as well.
It's announced that Angela Merkel will become the new chancellor. The SPD will get 8 ministries in the new government, CDU 4 and CSU 2. She won't.
Oh ok, I'm assuming you have direct links to the CDU and Merkel's advisors...otherwise there is no certainty in your hopes. I certainly hope it doesn't happen, but her being a Bush supporter says enough about what she would be willing to do.
Well, while I have to admit that I don't have any links to Merkel D), I think that I can make at least a prediction, based on my observation of current German politics. First of all, the German chancellor doesn't hold ultimate power. She would need to get the SPD to agree, as she would need a majority in the parliament to go to war. And, even if she could do this, what would she gain? This would definitely not make her more popular in the public. She has enough problems in Germany already and meanwhile everyone knows that Iraq is a mess. I just don't see it happen at all.
She won't go to Iraq. I don't think she will even change that policy. She will just try to do the marketing job on that issue better. Germany did not send soldiers into the 2nd Gulf war neither, just money. That's exactly what we are doing now. I hope that this turns out to be good for the greens.
No way the future gouvernment will send troops to Iraq. BTW it´s far to easy to say that Merkel is a "Bush supporter". The cabinet will have 8 ministries for SPD and 7 for Union (which includes the chancelary ministry) and the chancelorship which means we have 8 to 8 votes in the cabinet.
I was reading Schroeder's valedictory, and I wonder, will he pull a Gore (going slightly off the deep end), a Nixon (disappearing for a while, then returning to politics) or a Latham (writing a book about how everyone in Australia was out to get him) or will he just take an investment banking job and disappear for a while.
Well, he's a lawyer, so he'll either do that or nothing. He said he will do everything in his power to support the new government, hopefully that means he will comment on what they are doing wrong and what he would have done better, that would be great for entertainment.
He will get a high paying job without much work and will appear in talkshows from time to time. Just a prediction, of course.
MRS. GEORGE W. (LAURA) BUSH SENDS WARM LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS TO FELLOW FIRST LADY ANGELA MERKEL OF GERMANY Heil Frau Mrs. Merkel, One of my hubby's as-of-this-afternoon-unindicted handlers asked me to write you today, on account of you are now the first lady chancellor of Germany. But that can't be right, because that's a man's job. (The West Wing staff likes to play with me and be silly after 11am, when they know I'm a bit tipsy.) So as a fellow First Lady, I wanted to the first to congratulate you and welcome you to the club! As a token of good will to a country that shares our nation's reputation for absolutely loving to start wars, I stand ready to introduce you to public gestures that pass for marital affection on camera, but are actually highly-effective fingernail lacerations that will let your spouse know that if he doesn't shut his stupid salsa-hole, you are going to tell everyone why he keeps a mirror and a razorblade in his desk in the Oval Office! I think you and I are going to be terrific friends – or at least look like it in the photo ops! Indeed, I look forward to having many snapshots taken by your side, because it is so exciting to know that I've finally found someone who will make me look slim in one of my size-18 elastawaist pantsuits. I'm sure you must already be very busy, what with this being smack dab in the middle of your country's famous "October Festival." In our country we have a secret holiday devoted to drinking. It's called "The Second Term." But how nice it must be to have a formal holiday where one can PUBLICLY drink oneself into a vomit-splattered stupor – instead of having to keep cooped up in the family quarters every night! Honestly, they keep the windows near the wet bars in the private residence so blacked-out at night, you'd think we were having a nightly air raid by the Luftwaffe! LOL! (No offense!) I would like to take this opportunity to extend a formal invitation to Washington. While our hubbies are busy dragging your newly theocratic country into that Iraq mess, we gals can keep ourselves plenty busy, as I have heard that there are drinking games specifically invented for more than one person to play! I have also been looking at the photos of you on the newswire, so I will make sure that the White House chef puts lots of starches and saturated fats on the menu for our state dinner. Please extend my congratulations to your hubby on his victory over that awful Schroder fellow. I shudder to think that he might be even distantly related to the star of my hubby's favorite show. Yours Sincerely, Laura P.S. Wayne Newton's recording of the German National Anthem "Danke Schoen" is STILL one of George's and my favorites!
In other news Franz Müntefering is supposed to become vice-chancellor. This means that this is the perfect opportunity to say "Mach' et, Münte!"
I have seen reports that Schoerder is considering moving to the US and taking a job with Citigroup or Merril Lynch. For all his campaign rhetoric about the awful US social model and blood sucking American investors, what's up with that? Who is checking visas here! The one good thing is that maybe he will introduce umlats to American English. I think umlats are cool!
I recently saw him quoted with "my New York is Hannover" somewhere. Don't ask me where though, just remember the quote. And if Mötley Crüe couldn't introduce Umlauts to American English, I doubt Gerhard can.
I thought this quote would speak for itself - sometimes you can ruin the joke by trying to hard. "Many compare the nightlife in Berlin to that of New York in the 70s. Especially those who have never been to New York in the 70s." - Harald Schmidt Blue Öyster Cult did it before Motörhead. Motörhead don't count as they are British and BÖC, despite beeing awesome, didn't really have the commercial success of the Crüe.
you'r just envy But I am, too, on your knowledge of metal :-O Motörhead did (and still do) have success in the US, though, didn't they? How about Mägo de Öz' impact on Spain? ;-)
They probably sell better in Germany these days. They won an Emmy this year (or was it last year?) though - for a Metallica cover. They already have an Umlaut in Spanish, the Ü .
My publik scool edumicated way of saying umlaut! Anyway, back the seriousness, according to the Scotsman newspaper, Schroeder has been linked to Merril and Citigroup. Putin supposedly also offered him a job at Gazprom, a Russian energy company.