NYT: No Good Grades for Schroeder / NYT: Keine guten Noten für Schröder

(English translation at end of post)

In der New York Times vom 16. 11. 03 findet sich ein Kommentar (registrierungspflichtig) von John Vinocur zu Kanzler Schröders Besuch in dieser Woche in New York. Für seine Politik erhält Schröder nicht ganz so gute Noten wie in deutschen Medien. Es sind dort ja auch weniger Parteifreunde in führenden Medien-Positionen tätig...

Auszug:

"... five years in office have not brought clarity about the chancellor's convictions. When he lost to Mr. Schröder, Mr. Kohl called his successor a man consistently positioned on the wrong side of history. ... Before becoming chancellor, Mr. Schröder voted against German reunification, called for a cease-fire during the first gulf war while Iraqi troops were still in Kuwait, backed indefinite postponement of the introduction of the euro, and argued, in opposing American nuclear arms in Europe in the early 1980's, that Leonid I. Brezhnev seemed more intent on peace than the American presidents."

Schröders antiamerikanische Irak-Politik findet in den USA keinen Widerhall, nicht einmal bei liberalen Medien wie der New York Times. Deutschland wird in den USA nur noch als Juniorpartner Frankreichs angesehen - eigentlich die größte Beleidigung, die in diesen Tagen ein Amerikaner aussprechen kann.

Wir zahlen einen hohen Preis für die Politik Schröders.

English translation

In the New York Times from November 16, 2003, John Vinocur comments on German Chancellor Schroeder's visit to New York this week. Schroeder is not graded quite as favorably as in Germany's media. Well, there are fewer party acquaintances in high media positions in the US...

Quote:

"... five years in office have not brought clarity about the chancellor's convictions. When he lost to Mr. Schröder, Mr. Kohl called his successor a man consistently positioned on the wrong side of history. ... Before becoming chancellor, Mr. Schröder voted against German reunification, called for a cease-fire during the first gulf war while Iraqi troops were still in Kuwait, backed indefinite postponement of the introduction of the euro, and argued, in opposing American nuclear arms in Europe in the early 1980's, that Leonid I. Brezhnev seemed more intent on peace than the American presidents."

Schroeder's anti-American Iraq policy does not reverberate well in the US, not even in liberal media like the New York Times. Germany is considered the junior partner of France - probably the worst insult you might hear from an American these days.

Germany is paying a high price for Schroeder's policies.

Translation by Ray D..

Comments

[German Voters' Alzheimers]

Du hast dieses schoene Kompliment weggekuerzt; die ... sagen:

Yet Mr. Schröder has never paid with lost votes for the positions Mr. Kohl considered most egregious.

Was sagt das ueber die deutsche Waehlerschaft; die angeblich so politikbewussten und aufgeklaerten Deutschen koennen sich nicht einmal von zwoelf bis Mittag erinnern.