So What About The Germans?

Ryan Thompson of Young Conservatives has put forth an interesting argument that Germany has actually been supporting us all along and that we should cut them some slack and even view the current state of affairs as beneficial. He states several solid reasons for having this belief (military assistance, granting of passage and overflight rights, etc.). And while these are all good signs, we still need to pay attention to Mr. Schroeder's words and their effects.

Mr. Schroeder campaigned on an anti-American, anti-war platform. His rhetoric on the issue riled up his pacifist leaning population. The actions of Mr. Schroeder and the government may have belied a different stance than that which they spoke, but the German people bought into the rhetoric hook, line and sinker and have taken his words to heart. The actions of the German people indicate a growing gulf in understanding between America and Germany.

Is the gulf as wide as that between the Americans and the French? No. Not anywhere close. But is it there? Yes. And it is getting wider every day.

So how can we reverse the drifting apart of our two nations? The most important step that Schroeder could take would be to renounce the "alliance" with Paris and Moscow in the war against Iraq. Not to just edge away from it, but to come out and formally renounce it. And while renouncing the alliance, explain to the German pacifists why the United States is so important to their country and their freedoms. Explain the history and tell of the actions taken by the US GIs as compared to the Red Army. Talk about the Marshall plan and American forgiveness.

Schroeder needs to remind the Germans of the benevolence of the Americans. He needs to remind them that our ties go deeper than economics - they go to the most basic belief: freedom.

Schroeder needs to be pro-American if he wants to truly salvage the German-American relationship. He doesn't need to be our lackey, but he does need to be our friend.