Schröder on Iraq: "The Mother of all Misjudgements"

[Kellanved]

The trans-Atlantic Ice Age was intense. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and US President George W. Bush -- close allies during the post-Sept. 11 offensive in Afghanistan -- had nothing but disdain for each other when it came to Iraq. On Aug. 1, 2002, Schröder elected to take the final step in severing his relationship to the president. With an eye on autumn elections, he promised that Germany would not take part in a US-led military "adventure" in Iraq.

The statement marked the start of a major diplomatic rift between Washington and Berlin -- one that is still being mended today. Schröder also took heat in the media and many German raised their eyebrows at Schröder's apparent exploitation of anti-war sentiment to win re-election.

In his memoirs, which hit bookstores on Wednesday evening in Germany, Schröder professes surprise at the intensity of the reaction:

"I was completely flabbergasted by the reactions of the opposition and a few particularly bellicose members of the media, who were appalled by the fact that ... I had made Iraq a topic in the election campaign. How else could I have survived this campaign without exhibiting a clear position on this issue that meant so much to people?"

Just a few weeks later, Cheney gave a firebrand speech on Aug. 26, 2002 in Tennessee that Schröder describes in his memoir as a "tough one," a "carefully prepared bit of agitation for the coming conflict." Cheney infamously claimed that "only idiots or cowards could possibly believe" the invasion was avoidable. With US special forces unable to capture al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden, Schröder suggests the CIA was eager to shift focus to Saddam Hussein -- America's "sworn enemy" in Cheney's words.


...
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,444748,00.html

[tblue]

1. The world on Neocons: "The Mofo of all Misjudgements"

[applegrove]

2. Thanks for the post! n/t