Germany thinks twice
: It looks like Germany may be starting to regret siding with France (France?!?) against us. See the soul-searching about its role in the U.N. below. Now see this news:
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder for the first time called for the removal of Saddam Hussein in a speech to parliament on Thursday, dropping his objection to regime change as a goal of war.
The turnaround marked a significant attempt to patch up differences within Europe as attention turns to rebuilding a post-Saddam Iraq.
“We all hope that the earliest possible end to the war will keep the number of victims as low as possible,” Schroeder said. “And we hope that through the defeat of the dictatorship, the Iraqi people can realize its hopes of a life in peace, freedom and self-determination as soon as possible.”
And this:
Germany’s foreign minister [Joschka Fischer] says he hopes the Iraqi government will collapse quickly so a humanitarian catastrophe can be averted.
The statement marks a stark turnaround from Germany’s previous opposition to regime change as a goal of the U-S-led war.
