HEY SCHROEDER; DID YOU GET THE MESSAGE THIS TIME??????
Here's how the left views Merkel--so you know she's probably a leftist "conservative" ala Rudy Giuliani, who the hard left Germans are desperately afraid will win:
Here's what she really looks like (with typical Kraut taste in clothing...blecch), sorta soccer-mommish, which is probably about where her politics really lie: 
If the new media manage to shake even the monolithic European Old Media then we really do have a revolution on our hands, folks!
The anti-americanism debate should now end.
I anyhow had the feeling, that some people in these boards tried to flee sound and unemotional discussions by quoting germans (all of them !) anti-american rather than anti-liberal or anti-Bush administraton. The later would have been more like facing the foe.
Now chances are that a more liberal germany may turn it's economy upwards again. Let's look forward.
Ping
Hey Mr. Schroeder, can you hear me now?
Go off into the dustbin of history to be pilloried you butthead.
Considering that Schroeder immediately called for new elections in the fall, I would not be so quick to make that claim!!
A lot of people wondered when Munterfering & Co. started beating the anti-capitalism drums. Now the statements make sense! Schroeder KNEW they would lose NRW and began the SPD re-election campaign (and set the tone for the election) even before the call for new elections was made.
The SPD is going to blame every current wrong on capitalism (= USA) and a great majority will believe them.
All of the earlier statements regarding the transatalntic alliance (needs to be rethought), opening to Russia & China, and mich more - all show that the SPD has long planned this announcement and have placed themselves in a situation where the opposition (CDU/CSU & FDP) will have a difficult time convincing the voters that they even HAVE a plan - let alone a good one.