Schroeder's Stand

I was just over on Free Republic reading a Reuters article about Gerhard Schroeder changing his tone towards the US and the war. I also learned a little something more about Schroeder that makes me view in a slightly more positive light.

I find it interesting that both the German and French governments have had to come out with explicit statements voiced their desire to see the coalition win the war in Iraq. The fact that those statements had to be made is very telling of just how far relations have fallen between those two nations and the coalition nations.

I also believe that Schroeder’s real purpose behind his statement expressing desire that the war end as quickly as possible was political. Two days ago Joschka Fischer expressed a hope that the war would end quickly with the demise of the Iraqi regime. Fischer is the lynchpin of the current German government. If Fischer pulls the Green Party out of the government, and the government has to reorganize, the Germans will lose any chance of being able to potentially gain from the reconstruction of Iraq. Fischer has been a voice of reasoned opposition during this conflict (never thought I would ever say that about someone from the Green Party!), trying to balance his anti-war position with maintaining good relations with the coalition nations. By making his public statement, Fischer put Schroeder on the spot. Schroeder had to make a similar statement to show that he also is interested in maintaining good relations – otherwise he risked losing the Green support and therefore his job.

I’ve never been a fan of Joschka Fischer, but like I said he has acted as a voice of reasoned opposition in this war and I can respect his position – even as I disagree with him.

But Schroeder, up until now, has sounded like a Chirac shrill. He has screamed and pouted and whined about the coalition deciding to do the right thing. He has complained about the decline in importance of the Franco-German axis before it ever became important. He has railed against our military might as it exposed his own nation’s impotence.

And yet, his opposition always struck me as different than Chirac’s. It wasn’t reasoned like Fischer’s, but it wasn’t as vile and repugnant as “Iraq” Jacques. After reading this article, I believe it is because Gerhard actually believes in the righteousness of his position. His anti-war sentiment isn’t a political tact, it is a deep seated belief based on the death of his father during WWII. I believe that is why he never went to the theatrical extremes of Chirac; and I believe that is why his position was never as repulsive as the unprincipled Chirac.

I still find the theatrics employed to be offensive and I am disappointed that Schroeder was not able to be reasonable in his opposition like Fischer has been. But now that I know the reasoning behind his position, the position itself is understandable – if not commendable for its steadfastness to his principles. It’s too bad he couldn’t find a better way to present it.