Helmut Kohl, Former German Chancellor, Accuses German Government of Foolish Anti-Americanism

"Spiegel-Online" ^ | March 9, 2005 | Björn Hengst

[longjack]

09. März 2005	Printer Version

Verbal Attack

Kohl Accuses Government of Foolish Anti-Americanism

Von Björn Hengst, Köln

Former Chancellor Kohl has attacked his successor Schröder and the coalition in an unusually sharp manner. In an anniversary celebration of the CDU in Cologne he described the ministers of the red-green government as "foolish figures". Secretary of State Joschka Fischer has "lied his way through history".

DPA

Kohl (l.) und Rüttgers: "What would the union be without Kohl?"

Cologne - During the celebration of the 60-year existence of the CDU Helmut Kohl criticized the Red-Green Federal Government with drastic words on Tuesday evening. There are many "foolish figures" sitting in Berlin today cultivating a "foolish Anti-Americanism".

Actually, on this evening, the CDU had only wanted to give itself a celebration. Still, Kohl preferred to talk about the "other guys". Joschka Fischer, for example, once a stone throwing lefty, has "lied his way through history" as has no other Secretary of State before him.

Earlier, the guests at the anniversary celebration had given a standing ovation when former Chancellor Kohl, accompanied by his fellow party members Jürgen Rüttgers and Bernhard Vogel, had entered the hall. The invitation to the ceremony came from the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation - whose chairman, Bernhard Vogel, welcomed the former party chairmen, who fell from power over the illegal donations scandal, effusively: "What would be the Union be without Helmut Kohl"?

The reason for the party celebration: Immediately after the invasion of American troops on March 6th, 1945, there had been concrete plans for a new Christian Democratic party in Cologne. These plans continued with the "Cologne Guidelines" in June, 1945. They created the foundation for the program of the new party in Rheineland and Westphalia in September 1945. They spoke of a "Christian Socialism", and also the Ahlen program from February 1947 kept the same tone: "The capitalist economic system hasn't done justice to the state and for social interests of the German people."

Indeed, although all speakers during the evening emphasized how successful the party functioned as a melting pot for politically, socially and denominationally heterogeneous groups, they chose not to speak about the socialist nuances during the first years of the Union. Just once Helmut Kohl quoted the former Chancellor, Ludwig Erhard: "I also prevented this nonsense, too", Erhard had said about the "Ahlen program".

But his party's past interested Kohl recognizably less than a renewed settling of accounts with the Red-Green. He is, nearing 75, in the pensioner's age group now, but it gives him pleasure to tell the "other guys" what he thinks of them: "Nichts".

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"Spiegel-Online"....Kohl wirft Regierung dümmlichen Antiamerikanismus vor

Translated by longjack

[longjack]

D' Dümmchen d'obbe in Berlin - uff gut Pälzisch.

A Helmut Kohl story for old times sake.

longjack

[longjack]

German ping.

[Happy2BMe]

Kohl Accuses Government of Foolish Anti-Americanism - ping.

[free_european]

can you put me on your german ping list?

[Prophet in the wilderness]

At least some people in Germany still have some sanity left.
The rest of Germany's government has gone the way of the sicko wacko French.
Germany ? see ? didn't anyone tell you that the French are unprincipled, and can't be trusted ?

[longjack]

can you put me on your german ping list?

OK, thanks.

longjack

[americanbychoice2]

Thanks as usual.
I have to go to Krautland again next Wednesday and argue with my socialist family about "no oil for war".
Will see the game in Koblenz against Koeln.
That's the best part of my trip.
:)

[Unam Sanctam]

I miss Helmut Kohl almost as much as Maggie Thatcher! He was a decent Mensch.

[longjack]

FC Koeln will be back in the Bundesliga as it looks now. Good for them.

8 more points for Kaiserslautern to reach 40. The point in Berlin was a good sign, but giving the win away in the last minutes was frustrating.

longjack

[americanbychoice2]

this year, they won't need 40

[americanbychoice2]

actually, it is only 7

[McGavin999]

Before you go, go to Hammorabi's website and download a bunch of pictures of the mass graves in Iraq. That ought to shut them up.

[longjack]

I miss Helmut Kohl ...He was a decent Mensch

I agree. A Pfälzer from the Weinstraße, I think, so an everday guy. He was always the butt of jokes for his Pfälzer dialect. Kind of like George W in the way he mangled words.

I miss him, too. Nice to see he's speaking up.

longjack

[americanbychoice2]

thanks, always need ammunition.
My family's arguments are very shallow though, just like most Germans.

[elhombrelibre]

Now, there was a German we could all be happy to prost a bier with! It's too bad the adults have left the government.

[beckett]

Years ago while he was still the German Chancellor I saw Kohl walking down the eastside of 5th Ave in NYC with another fellow, surrounded by bodyguards. A limo crawled along by the curb beside them.

I followed for a few blocks just out of curiosity.

Suddenly out of nowhere a taxi slammed onto the opposite sidewalk, the westside sidewalk, and pinned a pedestrian to the wall. It crashed to the wall with an explosive power that sounded not unlike a bomb. Kohl, a huge man about 6'5" and well over 250 lbs, was lifted straight off the ground by his guards and hurled headfirst into the limo, which disappeared down the avenue in about 10 seconds flat.

Just another day in the Big Apple.

[longjack]

this year, they won't need 40

I agree, Bochum needs 14 points in 10 games, assuming Kaiserslautern goes 0 - 10 from here on out.

Eintracht or 60 may pass Fuerth and make it back, along with Koeln and Duisburg. Too bad Aachen fizzled.

longjack

[FBD]

wow. Kohl really laid into them.
Thanks for the ping to this article, HB2.