Gazprom's Schroeder: I would have expected a great deal of praise

To push the sales of his new book, former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder - now with Gazprom Inc. - made a number of interviews with German media outlets. He calls Putin "a flawless democrat", draws a link between the policies of President Bush and the faith based political system of Islamic states and describes as "pre-democratic" criticism of his decision to start working for a foreign company immediately after his departure from German politics.

His chancellorship resulted in a deeply disturbed relationship between the U.S. and Germany, left the German state finances in shambles, and made Germany dependent on Russian energy. For this, he definitely deserved praise from Putin and a contract from Russia.

SPIEGEL: The current chancellor has a closer relationship with President Bush than her predecessor did.

Schröder: Good for her.

SPIEGEL: Do you still stand by the statements you made about (Russian President Vladimir) Putin being a "flawless democrat?"

Schröder: Yes, certainly as far as his being a flawless democrat is concerned. I still feel exactly the same about that. (...)

SPIEGEL: You were not particularly tactful toward America.

Schröder: On the contrary. I'm anything but an opponent of America. Otherwise, half of US society would be as well. The problem we have in Germany -- which, admittedly, is not a problem for your publication -- is that significant segments in the press defame any levelheaded criticism of the United States as anti-American. That, of course, is wrong.

SPIEGEL: You are now a member of the supervisory board of a gas pipeline company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, which everyone knows is a tax paradise. Does this square with being a social democrat?

Schröder: I had nothing to do with choosing the location. It was decided by the joint venture partners, the two German companies and Gazprom, before I became involved. Second, it is absolutely normal not to base a joint venture in the country where the joint venture partners reside -- and if this is the case, it should be in the majority partner's country.

SPIEGEL: Your decision to play such an important role at Gazprom was met with dismay within even the highest ranks of the Social Democratic Party. Isn't a German chancellor obligated to preserve the interests of his own country for life, and not those of another country?

Schröder: Even if my answer to that question were yes -- and that would be my general feeling -- the fact is that the minute a chancellor leaves office he becomes a private citizen, especially when he is a lawyer and of an age when work is still somewhat of a necessity. In that case, he is also obligated to preserve the interests of his clients, and not only those of the state. Your ideas about a former member of the government are pre-democratic. Besides, your comment would imply that my involvement in the pipeline company is contrary to Germany's interests. The opposite is true. When seen in this light, I would in fact have expected a great deal of praise. But that was apparently expecting too much. (Source)

More on his assessment of the Bush administration:

But while Schröder and Bush's initial meetings were friendly, in the end the German leader could not accept the fact that religion seemed to be the driving force in the US president's political decisions.

"If a person adopts a political policy based on what he gleans from his prayers, in other words a personal talk with God, it can lead to difficulties in a democracy," Schröder told the newspaper (Bild am Sonntag).

The Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century led to a separation of church and state powers "from political action based on individual beliefs," he said. He wrote that some elements in the United States are hypocritical regarding secularism and government.

"We rightly criticize that in most Islamic states, the role of religion for society and the character of the rule of law are not clearly separated," Schröder wrote. "But we fail to recognize that in the USA, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."  (Source) (emphasis added)

(Read our posting on Schroeder's friendship with Putin of Dec. 2005: Gerhard Schroeder: Vladimir Putin's "Western Collarborator". And, of course, you need to have a look at Schroeder's feet here.)

Comments

[Scott_H]

What an arrogant a**. You want praise? Here, have a Bronx cheer!

And, what the heck is "pre-democratic"?

[Alexandru Voicu]

The guy is a psycho, in the true meaning of the term. I quote from wikipedia: "psychopathy is defined in psychiatry as a condition characterised by lack of empathy or conscience, poor impulse control and manipulative behaviors."

[LC Mamapajamas]

I'm still trying to figure out which universe Shroeder lives in.

This... ""If a person adopts a political policy based on what he gleans from his prayers, in other words a personal talk with God, it can lead to difficulties in a democracy," Schröder told the newspaper (Bild am Sonntag)." ... is complete hogwash.

There was a time when even athiests agreed that prayer was a method of meditation similar to Zen methods. There was a time when it was considered the RIGHT thing to do to listen to the "voice within".

Further, we have zero evidence that Bush is even going THAT far. We have no evidence that he is doing anything but forming policy based upon what his advisors tell him, which is what virtually ALL heads of state... or at least, those with any sense... do.

An offhand comment to the media once that he talked his decision over with God (a specific decision, one time as far as we know) has been taken WAY out of context. It is the Southern Christian tradition to pray for guidance, but not necessarily to receive information during the prayers. Experiencing something like that would probably scare the hell out of us.

And it is ALSO the Southern vernacular to refer to prayer... ordinary prayer... as "talking it over with God". We do NOT expect direct answers, and don't get them.

Entirely too much has been made of Bush's religious beliefs, which, as far as I can see, are mainstream in the US, punched up with a bit of (also mainstream in the South) Southern vernacular.

[Carl Spackler]

Many Europeans, especially leftist, study American entertainment products for insight of America. Like movies. Americans watch movies because they are exotic and far different from the lives we live and know. So, movies like Taxi Driver or Apocalypse Now, fine and exotic stories actually take those that see them as physical truth, further away. Schroder leftist move through these images as if they were real.

When did Schroder start taking payments from the Soviets and East Germans? Any takers? I'd say no later than 1972. As a pop shrink, I'd say he is a malignant narcissist. Much like Bill Clinton. Since Schroder doesn’t have any children, what the heck does he care how he has left Germany?

Lastly, does anyone think that Chancellor Schroder knows that he has the same last name of an American cartoon character? Odd how these cultural connections swirl about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schroeder_(Peanuts)

[garydausz]

"If a person adopts a political policy based on what he gleans from his prayers, in other words a personal talk with God, it can lead to difficulties in a democracy," Schröder told the newspaper (Bild am Sonntag)."

This comment from Mr. Gazprom.. aehm...Schröder is based on the claim of a palestinian poiltician who had claimed that he had been told by Bush personally that God had told him to invade Irak.
This bogus claim was shown big time in german media, off course never doubting the creditability of the source.

[Pamela]

Schröder: On the contrary. I'm anything but an opponent of America. Otherwise, half of US society would be as well.

Could someone explain the logic of this to me? An awkward translation perhaps?

"If a person adopts a political policy based on what he gleans from his prayers, in other words a personal talk with God, it can lead to difficulties in a democracy,"

Tell it to the Founding Fathers of the United States, most of whom understood very well what their knees were for.

[clarsonimus]

The more the guy opens his mouth, or writes his "thoughts" down, the more he ties himself up in knot. But it doesn't matter here. He can do and say whatever he wants and nobody really cares. He's the teflon Chancellor. Nobody has ever held this guy responsible for his actions, or his lack of action, I should say.

[Pamela]

"But we fail to recognize that in the USA, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."

I've been racking my brain and I cannot think of one Christian 'fundamentalist' I know or know of that wants the U.S. to become a theocracy. Not. One.

[James]

Has anyone recognized that President Jimmy Carter was a Baptist who wore his religion on his sleeves and was never criticized for having done so? Why Bush is criticized for being religious per se is ridiculous considering Carter won the Nobel Peace prize in 2002.

Schröder is a man without substance, a true politician: he creates flagrant arguments which fit well with the mainstream media and serve as a distraction.

[Orbit Rain]

"is that significant segments in the press defame any levelheaded criticism of the United States as anti-American. That, of course, is wrong."

oh puhlease...some idiots significant segments construe any criticism of what *they* say as driven by some brainwashed religious beliefs...

"But we fail to recognize that in the USA, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies"

booga booga...there's the boogyman you've imagined...

Some people are just...so...stupid malinformed.

[Gabi]

Zur Gerdshow, als das Land sich über die Bilder und Kurnaz empörte:

"Ansonsten hält sich der ehemalige Kanzler mit Äußerungen zum aktuellen politischen Tagesgeschehen zurück. Einen Journalisten eines öffentlich-rechtlichen Senders, der ihn nach seinem Wissen über die nebulösen Gefangenenflüge der CIA über Deutschland fragt, lässt er ebenso charmant wie unnachgiebig auflaufen. „Wie war doch noch die erste Frage?“, merkt er in einem Moment gespielter Unkonzentriertheit an, nachdem ihm während seiner Antwort auf die zweite Frage eines Reporters angeblich die erste Frage entfallen war – es war die nach Oskar Lafontaine. Lediglich das Bekenntnis, dass er gern Kanzler der Großen Koalition geworden wäre, lässt sich Schröder als einzig nennenswerte aktuelle politische Äußerung abringen."

http://www.cicero.de/97.php?ress_id=9&item=1442

Das sagt viel über Schröder UND ÜBER UNSERE JOUNALISTEN. Ich hoffe, das war die letzte Show mit Medienkanzler und Journalisten.