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US congressman: Germany's Schroeder borderline "prostitute" (Roundup)
Jun 12, 2007, 16:51 GMT
Washington - 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 Schroeder and former French president Jacques Chirac for failing to support the United States in its 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony for a victims of communism memorial in Washington, Lantos said their departure from the European scene heralded a closer relationship in the Atlantic alliance, which was badly splintered over Washington's decision to launch the invasion of Iraq without strong European support.
Lantos' remarks reflected the lingering bitterness over French and German opposition to the war, as he recalled how the US saved Europe from fascism and protected it from communism for generations. He said the two leaders had turned their backs to the US and its fight against the next wave of tyranny, Islamic fascism.
The congressman then provoked gasps of amusement and surprise in the crowd of several hundred when he 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.'
During his final weeks in office in 2005, Schroeder signed an agreement between Germany and Russia to build a pipeline under the Baltic Sea to supply gas directly to Germany.
After leaving office, he became chairman of the North European Gas Pipeline, which is 51-per-cent owned by Russian state natural gas company Gazprom - a move that provoked outrage in Germany.
Russia has used its energy reserves as a political chip in its continuing bid for hegemony in eastern Europe, and has come under severe criticism for repression of press and other freedoms.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
This guy is really full of it. 'US saved Europe from fascism' - right :-) This guy does not even attempt to be objective at all. On D-Day Nazis' fate was already set in stone and only timing was uncertain. All of their strongest armies were destroyed in Stalingrad and Kursk.
As for Schroeder, he did the right thing for the Germany. He helped building the pipeline that would guarantee energy security and independence from unreliable countries through which natural gas is currently being delivered. His job was to do what is best for Germany. This guy must be really out of this world to see that as improper.
Schroeder is a real jack*ss and to name him a political prostitute is insulting prostitutes.
I heard when he was chanceler, he was sueing a newspaper in germany because they published a story that he was dying his hair.
What a pompous ass.
VicTalk,
Russia could have never made any advances against the germans without massive finacial and equipment help from America.
Yes, America saved Europe from Hitler.
Your ignorance of history is pathetic.
Oh no, please not this america saved europe alone nonsense.
Actually they participated in freeing europe from nazism. Yes, and thats all.
They did the second biggest part but if you hear some americans talk , you might think they did it all alone.
Most of the entire war they did supply Britain and Russia with weapons. You cannot simply add those years to the D-Day invasion and make 6 out of 2 war in europe years.
Americans tend to forget that there were the Soviet Union, Canada , The UK, free Poland and free France troops also involved.
Mainly the SU by the way, that dealt with 70 % of germanies military power while america AND Britain AND Canada AND troops from Poland and de Gaulles free france dealt with the weaker rest on the west front and in Italy. (And nontheless they took considerable losses and had no easy task)
It were THE ALLIES who won the war together. One of them alone had lost it.
page: 1
colbertJun 12th, 2007 - 17:35:14
Actually the real house of prostitution is the American government. Congressmen and senators turning lobbyists, Pentagon generals being hired by military contractors, Lantos serving as a whore for Israeli interests. One could go on and on....
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