But I was never much attracted to worshiping the idol of the X42s. I couldn't worship that -- thing -- anyway. I'd have had to buy kneepads...
Posted on 10/23/2006 12:27:45 AM PDT by MadIvan
THE war in Iraq is unlikely to be resolved by a US Administration committed to a fundamentalist Christian viewpoint, according to Gerhard Schröder, the former German Chancellor, whose newly published memoirs stoke his four-year feud with President Bush.
Herr Schröder won a re-election campaign in 2002 by setting out German opposition to the invasion of Iraq. As a result, relations with Washington deteriorated and the two leaders barely spoke for three years.
In extracts from his memoirs to be published in Der Spiegel magazine, Herr Schröder explains what went wrong and why it will be difficult for the President to make peace.
“Again and again in our private talks it became clear how God-fearing this President was and how ruled he was by what he saw as a Higher Power,” says Herr Schröder in the memoirs, Decisions: My Life In Politics.
“The problem begins when political decisions seem to result from a conversation with God. If you legitimise political decisions in this way, then you cannot respond to criticism or suggestions by changing policies or introducing nuances.”
The former Chancellor, an agnostic, seems to consider President Bush to be a Christian fundamentalist, and as such less likely to make the compromises needed to end the conflict in Iraq.
“We rightly criticise that in most Islamic states there is no clear separation between religion and the rule of law,” he says. “But we fail to recognise that, in the US, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies.
“If both sides claim to be in possession of the only valid truth, then there is no room for manoeuvre.”
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
Maybe he would still be Germany's chancellor, if he would of borrowed some of the President's "faith."
"“We rightly criticise that in most Islamic states there is no clear separation between religion and the rule of law,” he says. “But we fail to recognise that, in the US, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."
When was the last time a Christian fundamentalist blew up 3000 people? : )
PING
Heaven forbid! Thanks, but no thanks!
Schröder was the worst German Chancellor since Hitler!
I'm still waiting for my lesson in how to be a good suicide bomber in Sunday school. Gee, I don't even like to hunt, and I've been a blood thirsty Christian for over 30 years. Thirsty for His blood to cover my sins that is, and when I take communion.
I wonder what he has to say about Bill Clinton's 12-pound Bible.
But I was never much attracted to worshiping the idol of the X42s. I couldn't worship that -- thing -- anyway. I'd have had to buy kneepads...
This dingbat seems to believe that somehow his "enlightened" (I would say perverse) view of our existence grants him some degree of clarity in dealing with these matters.
Yet at the same time, he's fighting another far more fundamentalist and far more aggressive, maniacal, and far less logically grounded form of belief.
Now, pray tell, how does this man, who can't even seem to understand where President Bush--a Christian like most of Schroeder's Germany--hope to understand Islamofascism or even claim to understand it better than Bush?
As if negotiations or flexibility ever worked with these jacklegs in the Middle East... You'd think these braindead knownothings would have figured that out with Iran, who has turned down how many offers now?
I understand your point; even though, if Schroder were a Christian, he would have been a much better leader. I think God would have made that happen.
And a guy who freaks out at the mere sugestion he dyed his hair is a perfectly acceptable world leader?
Is this Germany's Jimma Carter?
Merkel is Christian, her father was a priest who was so deeply religious that he accepted to move from Hamburg to Communist East Germany in 1954 because he got the call from his church. Merkel says that one of her favourite songs she likes to sing "Now let us all thank God". God bless and strengthens her in the fight against the Godless.
Good comparison!
Gerhard, have some dignity and just fade away.
This sounds like Clintonian influence at work, if you ask me.
Was it her father's church that started the prayer vigil to bring down that wall?
“We rightly criticise that in most Islamic states there is no clear separation between religion and the rule of law,” he says. “But we fail to recognise that, in the US, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."
What a bunch of BS! How many headlines in the US are about Christians going around beheading people, planting IEDs, mowing people down with cars and setting markets ablaze with car bombs? The religion of peace, unfortunately, does, and you know very well that if a Christian did any of this, it would be headline news forever!
I hope he would like Hillary better. But she wears a cross more often these days.
"Toldja so, toldja so!" <gloat, gloat>
Nuances. Hmmmm. That word is strangely familiar.
Better for all concerned that he choose sides now, than at the Great White Throne Judgment.
To milk Schroeder's public name recognition and the lingering prestige of his former office of their last few drops of credibility and authority, as the interviewers kick more dirt on President Bush and the WoT.
He may very well have been uncomfortable with Bush and his references to faith but that is not the reason that Germany did not support the Iraq war. It had much more to do with Germany's trade relations with Saddam that amounted in the area of $350 million annually, and another $1 billion is reportedly sold through third parties even though there were UN imposed sanctions .($1.35 billion in annual trade with Iraq, directly or indirectly.)
Furthermore Germany was owed billions by Iraq in foreign debt and was interested in keeping Saddam in power for no other reason than to insure Iraq makes good on the debt.
Then there is that whole 'Oil for Food' thingy.
No, that would be too much of a coincidence, but a great story for Hollywood. :-)
I wonder what he has to say about Bill Clinton's 12-pound Bible.
I think he has more respect for Clinton's cigar.
He got a slap in his face from a "fellow"-SPD-guy (jobless teacher) AFTER 9/11. The guy got 4 months jail on probation (probation time 2 years) and 100 hours social work. Man, I loved this story! Schröder really deserved it.
Oh Hollywood would never make a movie about a prayer vigil having anything to do with bringing down that wall.
And so I guess Shroeder believes that man can make more moral sound decisions?
Better than God?
I think that much of Europe has abandoned God.
Newt's got a new book out that chronicles how our founding fathers based much of our Constitution on God and faith. Therein lies our success.
To try to do so otherwise brings about eventual failure.
Bull!
1. What´s 350 million dollars for a economy like Germany?
2. What´s the position on war in general of Schröders party and his coalition partner, and at what time did Schröder express his opposition on the war against Iraq?
3. What´s the German link to the oil for food scandal?
ad 1.: Nothing that would justify to risk the partnership with the US.
ad 2.: The SPD and Greens were quite uncomfortable with the Afghanistan mission, they would have never supported another war. It was just weeks before election day, and Schröder´s newly discovered opposition against the Iraq war helped to mobilize the anti-war-crowd. Schröder is and has been an opportunist, and if it had served his re-election, he had supported the war to liberate Iraq.
ad 3.: German companies are no more or less involved in the OFF-scandal than American. And there are no government officials involved, unlike in France or Russia.
Check your sources pal!
As if gerhard did such a great job running his socialist country in to the ground.
He turned his back and the U.S. and imho can go to hell.
If Clinton had stopped Saddam in 1998, the inspectors could still control the destruction of Iraq´s WMD. Now they´re buried in Syria or elsewhere.
Reminds me of that scene in Return of the Jedi, where the wicked old Emperor tells Luke that his faith in his friends is his weakness.
Sounds just like something satan would say. Go figure.
We have not forgotten what Germans wrought on the world following a g-dless leader.
It would seem to me this nation should cling to all Christian tenets with a vengence since NONE are proven to be detrimental and only stabilizing to a society!
Oh call me crazy .. but I'm thinking having a bible quote thrown at ya is way better then having a bomb thrown at ya or having your head cut off by the terrorists
“If both sides claim to be in possession of the only valid truth, then there is no room for manoeuvre.”
Is he suggesting that we negotiate with the terrorists?
True...it was a Jewish fundamentalist who took down a building to kill himself and 3000 people.
That said, he's still an idiot.
I know the President is a man of strong faith, put as much stock in Schroder's description of him gassing on about religion as I put in Cindy Sheehan's account of him acting like a frat boy at a reception for the families of fallen troops.
Guten tag! Love your homepage, Konrad Adenauer was great.
This reminds me of the scene in the church in Highlander:
Kurgan: "He actually cares for these humans." (Referring to the MacLeod)
Priest: "He died for our sins." (Referring to Christ)
Kurgan: "That will be his undoing."
Schroder just stepped in it with a huge amount of Americans, IMO. Even non-churchgoers often find people of faith worthy of admiration - sometimes even when they have different politics!
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