Posted on 11/03/2004 11:06:25 AM PST by Pyro7480
German Leader Seeks New Start From Bush
By GEIR MOULSON, Associated Press Writer
BERLIN - Germany's interior minister said it was time to put aside differences with the United States over Iraq look to the future as President Bush won a second term, but another senior official reiterated Wednesday that German troops will not join the coalition there.
Ties between the two countries were strained by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's vehement opposition to last year's U.S.-led war in Iraq, although the two governments since have moved to repair relations.
"America is a very important partner, if not the most important one — and that's how it will continue to be," Interior Minister Otto Schily said.
Schily said he had "excellent" cooperation in recent years with the Bush administration and noted that relations between Schroeder and Bush also have "clearly improved."
"We had differences over Iraq, but we're not looking back now — we're looking to the future," he said.
His comments came in the hours before Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry called Bush to concede after a long, tense night of vote counting.
Germany has offered to help rebuild Iraq and is helping train the new Iraqi police and military. But "the German military will not be sent to Iraq, independently of who becomes president in the United States," Karsten Voigt, the foreign ministry's top official for relations with Washington, said on ARD television.
"I hope that a re-elected President Bush would use the chance offered by his re-election for a new beginning in European-American and German-American relations," Voigt said, adding that the U.S. leader would do well to "approach the Europeans ... and say, 'Let us sit down and talk about where we have common interests.'
"That is necessary on the Middle East, it is necessary and possible in fighting terrorism and in the question of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but it is also needed in the question of AIDS, climate protection and other issues."
Schroeder refused immediate comment on the election.
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer also pledged close cooperation with the United States.
"I have said that we will continue to cooperate positively," Fischer said. "In international politics, we face difficult challenges that cannot be mastered without close cooperation between Europe — including our country — and the United States."
But a view held by many left-of-center European politicians surfaced in comments by a lawmaker in Schroeder's governing party, who called Bush "a fundamentalist" and said he was "worsening polarization in the world."
"America is counting on strength and power because it views itself as the chosen country," Social Democrat Michael Mueller said.
Dialogue was needed with the United States to restore its "common sense," he said.
In Germany, PBS television and NPR radio would be considered right wing.
Pacifica Radio will be mainstream.
Despite the constant left-wing propaganda, Germans are still friendly to Americans. Eventually, they will get fed up with Schroeder and elect a more moderate government. As matter of fact, I would guess they are already fed up, judging by the most recent polls where the "right-wing" opposition is favored.
Schroeder is a pig.
Just forget every other word that came before that comment. The condescension from that group of elite intellectuals is the wedge that will forever divide us. Their entire civilization is on the brink of being taken over by middle-eastern immigrants and they still thumb there nose at us. We should not help them on their descent into the dark age of Islamofacism.
Europe - they've never seen a form of tyranny they could not embrace.
After 5 days of withstanding attacks by the Germans without reinforcements or supplies, two German Officers were sent to the American Headquarters with a letter from the German Commander demanding that the 101st surrender. After hearing that the Germans wanted the 101st to surrender, the Acting Commander - BG General McAuliffe said "Nuts". Surrendering was not an option for the 101st so "Nuts" was chosen as the official response to the Germans demand for surrender.
If memory serves, the translator for the Germans struggled with the response, until he correctly translated it as "Go to hell!" LOL!
Isn;t that just like liberals
when WE win they say WE need to change not them
Listen up Kraut tard
America has been the best thing about this planet for the last 200 years straight.
If you don't like us YOU are on the wrong track and YOU need to change.
It was almost a moment of divine inspiration when the junior officer said
that he thought McAuliffe's first response was a good one to pass on to the Germans.
Oh, Germany....land of small Richards. Puckeren de upen and kissen mein Red, White, and Blue arse...........whose your Fatherland........Bwuuaahahaha !
Put the CDU back in power, then we'll talk.
We need to hurry up and pull troops out of Germany. Let them eat Islam!
"the U.S. leader would do well to "approach the Europeans ... and say, 'Let us sit down and talk about where we have common interests."
This guy has it backwards. The Europeans would do well to approach OUR president to see if there are common issues to work on.
If it were up to me, I would send them packing. I would then begin pulling the troops out faster than the 10-years planned for. It is sad that these Euro-leftists continue to express their hatrid and bigotry towards Americans. Their solutions to every trans-Atlantic issue is for the Americans to give in to THEIR point of view. Thanks, but no thanks.
You are not allies, nor are you our friends. My ancestors fled your tyrannical Europe and I am not interested in your scummy, socialist politics.
Japan in and France out of the Security Council!
You have it backwards you pompous jerk.
You made your bed now wallow in it.
BS!!!
US out of the UN and UN out of the US
OK, lets. We need a couple of additional armor divisions. We have a few lying around in your country. We can take them off your hands. If you want to give us another brigade, you can police your own Balkan backyard yourselves - or not, if you are isolationist wusses with no role to play in security affairs. When you've liberated more people than Germany has killed in the past, we can talk about greater responsibilites for Germany in the world.
Then we have a deep and abiding interest in replacing your present government with a more pro-American one on the center-right. In the meantime, you may gaze at your navels.
We have a clear interest in your not providing nuclear technology and advanced weapon systems - often obtained from us directly or indirectly - to third world nutjobs, terrorists, enemies of Israel, and the like. As an incentive, we promise that if you manage to refrain from such things, we will strive to keep 50-100 US designed nuclear weapons from falling into the hands of the Poles and Czechs.
"we face difficult challenges that cannot be mastered without close cooperation between Europe — including our country — and the United States."
No doubt you do, but we do not. So conduct yourselves accordingly. We don't need you for anything. And we trust you a far smaller distance than we can throw you. In fact, under your present leadership, we won't ever believe a word you say - though we may indulge you from time to time out of regard for our own interests.
The relationship starts from reality, and the reality is the power of the US does not need your approval to exist and is not going anywhere, is not at your beck and call, and serves the interests of the American people as their own chosen leaders see it, not your whims. The sooner you get your heads straight on that, the better for all concerned.
They can start by admitting that they need to kiss some serious booty.
Since that isn't likely, then buzz off.
Unfortunately the US leaving the UN is even more unlikely than France losing it's Security Council seat. but I sure would like to see it.
"Thanks, but no thanks!"
I disagree with this statement. I agree with another poster saying we had to get rid of the UN but it makes since to have a big campaign to garner global support for the future war on terror. If nothing else, we'll gain better intelligence about future attacks. We don't have to kiss Germany's butt, they are coming to us for that. May as well take advantage of the attitude and get something out of billion dollar troop investment over there.
I love the title. Was that an AP original?
Could not have said it better.
We stood by Germany over 60 years. Our support and probably the first casualties of the cold war occurred during the Berlin Airlift, where millions of tons of supplies were flown into Berlin and dozens of pilots died in accidents. We had dozens die in RAF attacks and still held the line. We stood in Europe knowing that if the Warsaw pack had attacked most of our troops would have died there in place. In the Balkans we waged a war against the Serbs at THEIR request without a UN mandate because they had 250,000 refugees flood their country in the early 90s. In this war we spent billions, yes billions and lost over 30 men in combat.
7 years later we were attacked. 2,900 civilians perished and this was just one attack in a long series of many attacks over years. We asked for help and all they could do is come up with excuses why they shouldn't.
They block NATO involvement and don't want to carry any of the cost economically, politically or in blood.
They even tried to sabotage our effort by buying off Turkey to block our access and prevent a Northern front in Iraq. I'll go as far to say that they put the lives of US troops at risk so that they could play their internal election game politics.
They only report about the horror, correlations with Vietnam, Abu Garib and other nasty aspects because they want to see us get a black eye. This makes them feel justified in their position. Even Schroeder (Their Chancellor took the time to comment about Abu Gahrib) but not much else, especially anything that is positive.
They tolerate us because we provide jobs. We bring in money with 71,000 soldiers and 12,500 DA civilians buying stuff there. With over 28,000 houses or apartments rented and another 12,500 Germans on our direct pay rolls. That’s not counting all the contracted jobs etc. Just to rail load our stuff from one post to a training area is in excess of a million US dollars for one Brigade. Figure in electricity, fuel, local purchased parts and so on. However, there is no appreciation for what we did after the war or through the cold war. Even the Balkans they want to forget conveniently now.
They now see no credible threat and now that this is the case the flick us off and are willing to jeopardize NATO and everything else. They got what they wanted from us.
Please tell me, why should "WE" be the ones to care what they think? Why should we respect them? There are many there who are good people individually. But as a nation, they are a untrustworthy, undependable nation which has the same geopolitical interests but would rather stay in our shadow and if called out to help will cry and buck because they don’t want to contribute. They act out of pure self interest while pointing the finger at us and saying that it's all about the "oil" and how we’re a "hegemony" and "imperialistic". I need help, because I just can't understand why we should attempt to "mend" anything as long as this Schroeder is in office.
Red6
Just my opinion.
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