I hope Germany does the right thing, but in the end its their country

On September 18th Germans will vote in the general elections for a new government. The two main candidates are Angela Merkel and Gerhard Schroder. I for one would think anyone but Schroder would be great for Germany.

Just look at the facts. Since he came into power in 1998 growth has been slower in Germany than in any other EU country. Despite his promise to reform Germany's economy after the economic slump resulting from reunification. Unemployment is currently at 5 million, well above Schroder's starting point at 3.5 million.

Schroder's foreign policy hasn't been much better. In Kosovo, he did lift the longstanding taboo by sending German troops into combat for the first time since 1945. But by campaigning hard in 2002 against war in Iraq, he poisoned Germany's relationship with the United States. He has been too forgiving of Vladimir Putin's shift to autocracy in Russia. As for EU reforms, he started with much promise but then allied himself too tightly with France's Jacques Chirac, who opposes economic and budgetary reforms.

From the above record, I would say Schroder is not the man for the job. But again I was pissed when Europeans tired to tell us how to vote in 2004 so I will not go so far as to tell them what to do. In the end, it is their country.