Germany - Editor confirms Justice Minister compared Bush to Hitler - Schroeder expresses regret

DPA and AFP via Babelfish translation | September 20, 2002

[HAL9000]

"Swabian Tagblatt" editor-in-chief accuses Daeubler Gmelin lies

Hamburg (dpa) - which editor-in-chief of the "Swabian day sheet", Christoph Mueller, has Federal Secretary of Justice Herta Daeubler Gmelin of the lie accused. After its appearance before the federal press conference he said to the "world on Sunday", it never humans lying thus saw like Herta Daeubler Gmelin. Die minister had before denied the Iraq politics of US president George W. Bush with methods of the Nazis to have compared. The "Swabian day sheet" had brought the affair around Daeubler Gmelin with a report over its alleged comparison in rolling.

Schroeder turns because of Daeubler Gmelin in letter at Bush

(AFP) After the alleged Hitler comparison of Federal Secretary of Justice Herta Daeubler Gmelin turned Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (both SPD) personally in a letter at US president George W. Bush. "I would like to insure you that at my cabinet table nobody has place, which brings the American president with a criminal in connection", stressed Schroeder in the letter, which was present the press agency AFP on Friday. It regrets it much that Bush by the alleged comparison with Adolf Hitler "deeply hurt" is. Daeubler Gmelin has it insured that she did not make it attributed expressions, defended the chancellor its law minister. </blockquote.

[Man of the Right]

Germany's esteemed Justice Minister Herta Daubler-Gmelin was born in Bratislava, Slovakia on August 12, 1943 to Hans Gmelin, later Mayor of Tubingen, Germany from 1954-1974. He died in July, 1991.

From 1939-45, Slovakia was a German satellite. In 1941 the Nazis and their Slovak quislings adopted a Jewish code. The next year, they shipped 68,000 of Slovakia’s 130,000 Jews to the death camps. The Slovak German minority, lead by the Nazi Franz Karmasin, worked hand-in-glove with the Slovak Populist Party, the local fascist party, and the Slovak storm trooper organization, the Hlinka Guards.

In 1942 & 1943 George H.W. Bush was fighting the Axis.

It might be instructive to ask Frau Dauber-Gmelin what Herr Gmelin, a German, was doing in Slovakia, an occupied country, during 1942 & 1943? Clearly, he wasn’t being executed by the Nazis. And he wasn’t serving with Eisenhower.

[hellinahandcart]

Okay, this took a while, here's my best guess, and remember I don't really speak German:

The Day Sheet’s Thursday report of Herta Daeubler-Gmelin’s expressions about US President George Bush made huge waves in Tubingen and Berlin. The oppostion parties demanded the resignation of the Federal Secy of Justice, who denied on Thursday her statements of Wednesday. The Day Sheet stands by its account, which is not contradicted by other ear-witnesses.

In Thursday’s report, the Tuebinger [guessing this means Daeubler Gmelins is from Tubingen] said that during a discussion in the Derendinger Sport Restaurant, with approximately 30 members of the Metalworkers Union [guessing again], that Bush wanted/preferred a war with Iraq to domestic problems in the US. This is a popular method. Hitler had also used it. She clarified today: she wasn’t comparing Bush and Hitler, the persons, to one another, but only the Method. [Dig that hole deeper, Herta]

The Financial Times Germany, the supraregional paper with the latest edition time, quoted in detail on Thursday from our report. In the course of the morning other media (including Spiegel Online) took up the topic. Thereupon several CDU and FDP functionaries demanded her resignation.

In the first statement to the press, the Ministry of Justice called the Day Sheet report [false? Erroneous? Something like that] In the afternoon, from the Stuttgart airport, Daeubler-Gmelins denied making the statements. According to DPA she said: {Blah blah blah} , {in error}? And this affair [misrepresentation followed by scandal] would throw only one shadow on the RESPECT [not attention] that I have for the American president.

On the other hand, designatedUS Govt spokesperson Ari Fleischer, during a press conference in the White House, termed Daeubler-Gmelins’ remarks as outrageous and infuriating.

During its evening broadcast, German Television’s Channel Two confirmed through Bernd Melchert, the chairman of the walter[Metal?]workers council [union] and moderator of the Derendinger meeting, that the Minister had indeed made a connection between the methods of Bush and Hitler.

However he [Melchert] also stressed that [in his opinion] it was not the two men themselves that were compared (as was also stated on Thursday in the Day sheet). Peter Schuetze, the chairman of the Flender [?] workers council, also confirmed the tenor of our Thursday report in a telephone conversation.

Campaign supporters and political opponents of the minister, whom we questioned on Thursday, expressed surprise over the statements quoted in our newspaper. “Sometimes something just slips out? That wasn’t what was intended?[?] That is not unusual/unbelievable/unheard of[?]” said Winfried Kretschmann, who was our Guest Editor on Thursday. [Guessing he meant it could have happened to anyone]

But the head of the Greens Party of Baden-Wuerttemberg stressed this principle--to make the comparison between a democratically-elected politician and Hitler is [wrong?]{and wasn’t Hitler elected once?]. Politicians in democratic nations should restrain themselves from [crossing the line with such comarisons?]

So wies in the sheet, ists gewesen, is obviously not convinced Gerd Weimer, former SPD state parliament delegate was reported and first mayors of Tübingen. Herta Daeubler Gmelin said to him that it concerns a verzerrende Darstellung its, which explained her. From therefore it be unnecessary a contentwise statement.

Seems to be saying that Gerd Weimer, former SPD parliamentarian (and mayor or Tubingen?) was not convinced of the accuracy of the report in the Day Sheet. Herta had said explained to him that it was an erroneous repreentation of what she had said (“out of context” perhaps), so he did not think it necessary to issue a statement of his own condemning her. Again, a guess.

Daubler-Gmelins’ constituency-(something) Anette Widmann Mauz (CDU) could not be reached for comment on Thursday. “She has nothing to say because the statement speaks for itself”, said her office. Peter Wilhelm, Bundestag candidate of the FDP, made a reserved judgment: “I would not like to be a polarizer. I believe Mrs Daeubler-Gmelin meant it only as you see it there; that it is not a new method, the threat of outside problems to [minimize?] domestic problems.”

However it is questionable whether the name Hitler would have had to fall.

However it is questionable that the name “Hitler” should have been dropped/mentioned at all.

Acts quite over ein strong Stueck, a unglueckliche Aeusserung, which possibly represents a traurigen Hoehepunkt of an anti-Americaism, which like a red thread pulls itself for two weeks by the policy.

(Your guess is as good as mine here. I give up. :D)

Heike Haensel, who stands as a candidate for the Party of Democratic Socialism, considers a comparison of the methods of Bush and Hitler to be historically wrong as well. Hitler was not trying to divert attention from domestic troubles, but to wage an economic recovery through his war preparations.

The last paragraph? Seems to be the Heike Haensal babbling about civil means of conflict resolution (instead of war), strengthening the UN to balance out the unilateralism of the US, except that the papaer also seems to be saying, and the paper seeming to take the position that the peace movement is now in the position of having to justify their anti-Americanism and that the rest of the world didn’t have a problem with the US’s unilateralism during the last two world wars. If that’s what it really says, that’s a real diss on Herta Daeubler=Gmelin.

[Cautor]

It's well past time the U.S. tells its wimpy far left "allies" to take a long walk on a short pier. No apology from GearHard will do. We want the bitch fired.

[tictoc]

Not bad, not bad at all!

Two elements of German grammar that give difficulties to non-native speakers are indirekte Rede (reported speech, a device which does not exist in English), and the conditional mode.

Nevertheless, you did a good job capturing most of the essential points.

Laut dpa sagte sie: “Mir täte es leid, wenn diese Angelegenheit auch nur einen Schatten auf die Achtung werfen würde, die ich vor dem amerikanischen Präsidenten habe.”

This is an example of the conditional, i.e. "I would regret it if this affair were to cast even one shadow on the respect that I have for the U.S. president."

The last three paragraphs:

Allerdings sei es fraglich, ob der Name Hitler hätte fallen müssen. Es handle sich durchaus um “ein starkes Stück”, eine “unglückliche Äußerung”, die möglicherweise einen “traurigen Höhepunkt” eines Anti-Amerikanismus darstelle, der sich wie ein roter Faden seit zwei Wochen durch die Politik ziehe.

(The bolded words in the paragraph above indicate instances of reported speech:)

However, said Wilhelm, it was questionable whether the name Hitler should have been mentioned. He said that this [incident] was in fact "a major gaffe" and an "unfortunate statement" possibly forming an "ignominious pinnacle" of the anti-Americanism that had been a common theme in politics for the past two weeks.

He got that right, but he has nothing to crow about, being a member of the FDP, whose party chairman in Germany's most populous state again erupted in an anti-Jewish outburst yesterday. True to form, Friedrich Moellemann accused the state of Israel of a war-mongering policy and claimed the deputy head of Germany's Jewish community was a supporter of this policy - Tictoc

Heike Hänsel, die für die PDS kandidiert, hält einen Vergleich der Methoden auch historisch für falsch. “Hitler hat nicht von innenpolitischen Problemen abgelenkt, sondern einen Wirtschaftsaufschwung durch Kriegsvorbereitungen inszeniert.” Sie lehne [reported speech again] solche Vergleiche “auch in Ansätzen grundsätzlich ab”.

The PDS [i.e., communist] candidate Heike Hänsel believes that comparing the methods is wrong also for historical reasons. "Hitler was not drawing people's attention away from domestic problems but instead staged an economic boom by preparing for war." She said that she opposed "any such comparisons, even if only hinted at".

Nachdem der Kanzler von einem “deutschen Weg” gesprochen hat, sei [r.s. again] die Friedensbewegung jetzt in der Situation, der Regierung sagen zu müssen, dass sie “einen anti-amerikanischen Zungenschlag hat”. Man brauche keinen deutschen, sondern einen zivilen Weg der Konfliktlösung, fordert Hänsel. Es gehe darum, die Uno international gegenüber dem Unilateralismus der USA zu stärken. Das sei jedoch “durch die beiden letzten Kriege, bei denen Frau Däubler-Gmelin kein Problem hatte mit dem US-Präsidenten und dem US-Rechtssystem”, verhindert worden.

She went on to say that now that the chancellor was talking of a "German way", the peace movement was faced with the situation of having to tell the government that it was "speaking with an anti-American tone". Hänsel said that the conflict had to be resolved in a civilian and civil way, not a German way. She stressed the need to strengthen the UN internationally against U.S. unilateralism. However, she claimed that this intention had been thwarted "in the last two wars Kosovo and ...? - tictoc], in which Ms. Frau Däubler-Gmelin had no problem with either the U.S. president or the U.S. legal system".

[hellinahandcart]

Two elements of German grammar that give difficulties to non-native speakers are indirekte Rede (reported speech, a device which does not exist in English), and the conditional mode.

Hmm. Is that why I had no problem understanding the folks in Zurich when they called on the phone (they all spoke English either pretty well or very well), but when they'd send a fax in English I'd have to stand there scratching my head and wondering "what on earth are they trying to tell me here in this word puzzle? "

However, said Wilhelm, it was questionable whether the name Hitler should have been mentioned.

English and German are a lot alike in some of their expressions. When I read "However it is questionable whether the name Hitler would have had to fall", I remembered a conversation with a German friend, who what said "They should never have let fall the name of ____" (different person but similar context), and I pondered that one for a second and realized he was essentially talking about the concept of name-dropping Shouldn't have dropped/let fall the name. In other words, bad idea to mention it.

He said that this [incident] was in fact "a major gaffe" and an "unfortunate statement" possibly forming an "ignominious pinnacle" of the anti-Americanism that had been a common theme in politics for the past two weeks.

I never would have figured that out. It's awkward even when accurately translated.

She went on to say that now that the chancellor was talking of a "German way", the peace movement was faced with the situation of having to tell the government that it was "speaking with an anti-American tone".

Boy, I bet that rubs the peace movement the wrong way.

Hänsel said that the conflict had to be resolved in a civilian and civil way, not a German way.

I don't think she knows how funny that was :D.

She stressed the need to strengthen the UN internationally against U.S. unilateralism. However, she claimed that this intention had been thwarted "in the last two wars [Kosovo and ...? - tictoc], in which Ms. Frau Däubler-Gmelin had no problem with either the U.S. president or the U.S. legal system".

Now, when she mentioned the last two wars, I was sure she meant World Wars. Guess not.

You're right, Kosovo and what? Last Gulf War? And she thinks those were examples of US unilateralism?

Greens are just effin' weird...

[hellinahandcart]

Looky. tictoc speaks German!

[F16Fighter]

"It might be instructive to ask Frau Dauber-Gmelin what Herr Gmelin, a German, was doing in Slovakia, an occupied country, during 1942 & 1943? Clearly, he wasn’t being executed by the Nazis. And he wasn’t serving with Eisenhower."

LOL -- One might find Frau Dauber-Gmelin's very own attic a treasure trove of "souvineers" and "family heir looms" from ze "good ol' Reich days".

[McGavin999]

Yeah, well, why don't they tell the German people that Schroeder's so called letter of apology was more insulting than the insult. US/German relations are DEAD!

[aristeides]

Kosovo and Afghanistan, presumably. This communist dame is pointing out the inconsistencies between SDP/Green support for the Kosovo war and their opposition to war with Iraq. I was unaware that the PDS opposed the war in Afghanistan.

[aristeides]

Ms. Hansel is PDS, i.e., neocommunist, not Green. As I told tictoc, I think the "last two wars" are Kosovo and Afghanistan.

[aristeides]

The editor of the German paper is accusing the minister of lying, and is threatening to take her to court.

[tictoc]

Thank you for your response, I always enjoy reading your comments.

Tomorrow's edition of Die Welt, a conservative German paper, includes this cartoon:

Herta says: "But I didn't mean it that way at all!"

More info on Schwaebisches Tagblatt, the local daily that broke the story, and its editor-in-chief:

The ST is a leftist paper and always supports the Red/Green (Red=social democrat) coalition government. Local people call it "Neckar Pravda" (the Neckar is the river that flows through Tübingen). Christoph Müller, its editor in chief, is an outspoken homosexual. It broke his heart to spill the beans on Herta... but like every journalist, he would kill for a scoop.

[hellinahandcart]

There's a conservative German paper? Well, that's a relief...

Cute cartoon!

[Ipberg]

Schroeder deftly played the anti-American trump card to stay in power and distract from a failing economy. It's just what Stalin, Kruschev, and Brehznev did.