Gerhard Schroeder has set the date for a so-called "confidence vote" in his government for July 1. The idea is calculated political suicide: He expects the parliament to collapse his cabinet and force early elections in the fall. How this will help Schroeder no one can quite figure out. Some people think he just wants out of his job. A few others think he'll squeak through; but the tea leaves (or at least reports from Reuters) keep saying that European leaders will have to learn a new name after September, the name of the first woman to rule a German-speaking nation since Maria Theresa sat in a Viennese throne: Angela.
posted by Michael Scott Moore |
3:29 PM
