Having not forgotten that wonderful June speech in Berlin in which then US-American presidential candidate Barack Obama called for Germans to take more of the fighting burden in Afghanistan, the German government is wasting no time now after last week’s election to remind Obama and everyone else out there that they will continue to resist calls for more troops in that country while still remaining the best of bosom buddies with us at the very same time (and with Angelika Merkel that’s saying a lot - the bosom part, I mean, get it?).
And just to prove just what good buddies we will continue to be, German foreign minister and aspiring chancellor candidate himself Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) will, uh, prove it and jump over his own quite substantial shadow by travelling to IRAQ ITSELF right after Obama’s inauguration. This is significant or something.
Probably because you could call this planned German visit to Iraq a good-will visit of sorts I guess, although, technically speaking, Steinmeier won’t be the first German minister to visit that terrible, dreadful, awful place. German economy minister Michael Glos held quiet, semi-secret talks with Iraqi officials in Baghdad back in July already, expressly stressing Germany’s interest in Iraqi oil, remember? No, of course you don’t.
So you could say, or at least I will, that Steinmeier’s good-will visit will be good in that it will be “good” that the Germans can finally get what they “will” (want, in German). Now that Darth W. Vader has finally been besiegt (defeated) by, uh, Luke Waterwalker or whoever.
You gotta have friends, I guess. Or bosom buddies, if you don’t have those. And with buddies like that, uhm, how’s that saying go again?
“Damit solle ein Signal an Obama gesandt werden, dass die Bundesregierung seine Politik im Nahen und Mittleren Osten unterstütze.“
