Free Republic

The German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, and his conservative rival, Edmund Stoiber, locked in a dead heat before the voting on Sept. 22, clashed sharply tonight over questions of unemployment and Iraq in their second and final televised debate. The two candidates, both wearing bright red striped neckties, dropped their tentativeness of two weeks ago to exchange barbs, interrupt one another and quarrel aggressively about their records, plans and even their upbringings. Iraq and its impact on German-American relations were the new elements in this debate for an electorate already well informed about Mr. Schröder's failure to keep his pledge to...