Posted on 06/12/2007 8:24:00 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker
Washington (dpa) - Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's close business ties to Russia amount to ``political prostitution'' that would even offend people who sell their bodies for money, a top US congressman said on Tuesday.
Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor who chairs the House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs, attacked both Shroeder and former French president Jacques Chirac for failing to support the United States in its 2003 war in Iraq.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony for a victims of communism memorial in Washington, Lantos said he would like to call Schroeder ``a political prostitute, now that he's taking big cheques from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. But the sex workers in my district objected.''
Soon after leaving office, Schroeder became chairman of the North European Gas Pipeline, which is 51-per-cent owned by Russian state natural gas company Gazprom.
Wow, I agree with Lantos.
Calling a politician a prostitute is a sure-fire way to offend the local crack-whores and get your tires slashed.
...blinking my eyes in disbelief...
Holy smokies, Bullwinkle, I am in agreement with Tom Lantos!
Good on him!
Let ‘em have it!
So, is Lantos saying that Russia bought off Schroeder? Why did he keep this a secret for so long? Lantos didn’t support the US, either. I was shocked at some of the statements that were made by Lantos regarding terrorism and Iraq.
I agree with Lantos on this, but it’s the pot calling teh kettle black.
Actually, this is the first time I’ve ever agreed with Lantos EVER. None of that twice a day stuff.
This is like agreeing with Hitler or Pinch Sulzberger.
No party affiliation for Lantos in the excerpt...must be a Democratic [sic].
Lantos is right, but he isn’t any better. He visited Syrian Dictator Assad with Pelosi.
Mark
I was so flipped out after reading this, I hadn’t noticed the standard omission. Nice catch.
This is one of the few intelligent comments to come out of Lantos in DECADES.
Due only to having his own Ox gored...
That is the general consensus opinion within Schroeder’s political compatriot circles also.
When this first went public, Bild.de reported that once Schroeder accepted the position, he was removed from the guest lists of all the fashionable politico parties in Berlin for months afterwards.
Lantos is 79 years old. Maybe when Democrats get senile they get smart.
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