Germany must kowtow or be punished

American fury as German justice minister compares Bush to Hitler
By Toby Helm in Berlin and Toby Harnden
(Filed: 20/09/2002)
http://www.news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/09/20/wger20.xml

The White House last night lambasted Herta Däubler-Gmelin, the German
justice minister, for describing President Bush's Iraq policy as
comparable to the methods of Adolf Hitler.

"Bush wants to divert attention from domestic difficulties," she said.
"That is a popular method. Hitler has done that before.'

Ms Däubler-Gmelin's comments are the latest attempt by Chancellor Gerhard
Schröder's Social Democrats to pick up votes three days before the most
closely fought German election in decades.

She played to the anti-war sentiment of many voters but threatened the
worst breakdown in relations between Berlin and Washington since the
Second World War.

Using unusually blunt language Ari Fleischer, Mr Bush's spokesman, said:
"The relations between the people of the United States and the people of
Germany are very important to the American people.

"But this statement by the justice minister is outrageous and it is
inexplicable." The SPD was accused by the centre-Right of rampant
"anti-Americanism" and risking Berlin's relationship with Washington to
pick up votes.

The campaign has turned increasingly ugly with parties trading insults
over Iraq, immigration policy and how to deal with Islamic extremists
resident in Germany.

Ms Däubler-Gmelin also claimed in an interview with the Schwabisches
Tagblatt newspaper that if insider trading laws had been in force in the
1980s when President Bush was involved in the oil business "then Bush
would be in prison today".

Later, in a bid to soften her remarks, she said: "I did not compare the
persons Bush and Hitler, but the methods."

As the opposition called for her resignation she issued a statement saying: 
"It is erroneous and inflammatory to imply that I compared a man who was 
democratically elected, the American President George W Bush, and the Nazi era.

"I have always said to what point such a comparison would be unacceptable
and false. That was, by the way, implicit in this confused article that
some are now using for political ends."

The comments were the most outspoken by any SPD politician since Mr
Schröder ruled out German participation in any US-led military action to
topple Saddam Hussein, and said that as Chancellor he would never provide
money for such a campaign.

Edmund Stoiber's centre-Right alliance of Christian Democrats (CDU) and
the Christian Social Union (CSU) claim that Mr Schröder's policy risks
isolating Germany.

Mr Stoiber said: "The anti-American attitude of Saddam is only surpassed
by Schröder."

Thomas Goppel, the CSU general secretary said the remarks "show how the
SPD really view our American allies". He added: "There is a strategy
behind this. The SPD tries to give the impression that the real enemy is
Bush and not Saddam. That is irresponsible and demagogic."

One of America's most senior foreign policy figures said that Mr
Schröder's comments in the New York Times went beyond electioneering and
had caused lasting damage to US-German relations.

Mr Schröder criticised the US vice-president Dick Cheney and said Germany
would not back action against Iraq even if it were authorised by the UN.

Dan Coats, the US ambassador to Berlin, registered formal protests and
said that relations between the two countries had been badly affected.

Nonetheless, fearing that the SPD's anti-American push might win votes for
the SPD, Mr Stoiber opposed the idea of America going it alone, saying the
solution should by found through UN pressure.

"It is about destroying weapons of mass destruction not toppling a
dictator. There should not be a solo run by the Americans but also not a
German solo run." However, Mr Stoiber said that if elected he would not
permit the US to use its German bases to attack Iraq if it acts
unilaterally.

Since Mr Schröder hardened his opposition to an Iraq war, he has wiped out
a seven-point poll deficit and is a whisker ahead of Mr Stoiber. The
policy appeals to Germans appalled at the prospect of their country
returning to war.