Results from the German Elections

It was questionable whether electing Angela Merkel was going to make any difference to the German outlook, but I think this is one thing we wouldn't have found without being rid of the toxic Schroeder: Don Rumsfeld speaks his mind and is listened to, in Munich, Old Europe.

Of course recent events may have played a part, but it's difficult to imagine Schroeder being this mature. Wise words from Rummy:

'"We could choose to pretend, as some suggest, that the enemy is not at our doorstep. We could choose to believe, as some contend, that the threat is exaggerated.

"But those who would follow such a course must ask: what if they are wrong? What if at this moment, the enemy is counting on being underestimated, counting on being dismissed, and counting on our preoccupation," Rumsfeld said.'