An American Lion

German Army Re-enactors

In the Rogers family, we are both horrified and fascinated with the German Army. Father studied their equipment and built machines that could defeat the Germans. He did it slowly, however, and his inventions weren't completed until the war was nearly over. This is, reportedly, why President Truman wanted Father put on trial, and why he had thousands of men hunt Father for years. They never caught him, and they never thanked him for giving the United States Army the ability to destroy Russian-made tanks in Korea.

The German people? We love the German people. They've come a long way. Plus, they get friendlier and friendlier as more of the really old Germans die off. I know it sounds bad. I intend it that way.

This makes me sad because it shows rather poor analysis:

Despite the president's claim at a joint appearance this afternoon that "I like Chancellor Merkel a lot," President Barack Obama and Germany's Angela Merkel are widely believed to have a somewhat frosty relationship. The biggest perceived rift between the two? How best to respond to the global financial crisis.

Mr. Obama, of course, has pushed through a massive stimulus package and pressed for greater government spending worldwide to end the recession. Merkel, who helms the largest economy in Europe, has resisted such spending; her government has passed only a pair of small stimulus packages in response to the economic crisis.

One reason for the two leaders' different philosophies is ideological: Merkel is a center-right politician who has argued against bank bailouts in Europe. But German history is also a factor. Under the German parliamentary governmental system known as the Weimar Republic, Germans faced hyperinflation in the 1920s that destroyed savings and drove many people into poverty.

I think that's a stretch--there are virtually no Germans left who remember anything pre-World War II with any kind of detail.They have been integrated into Europe and reunified now for, what? Not quite twenty years? I highly doubt anyone in Germany thinks the specter of the Weimar Republic is any more relevant than the Teapot Dome scandal would be to modern Americans.

Modern Germans are terrified of losing their benefits and quality of life, which are pretty high in many cases. What used to be East Germany? Well, that's like talking about how certain very, very red states match up to suburban areas in the Northeast for economic and social status.

The Germans may be horrified by our bailouts, but they can be horrified and still wonder about their own problems. The transfer of wealth from the successful to the layabouts is a problem all across socialized Europe. Obama and Merkel do not get along because of foreign policy, not necessarily economic policy. This is more in line with what I believe to be true:

"There is accord, but at the same time there's beginning to be a certain disquiet," says Heather Conley, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Angela Merkel and other European leaders would like to see much greater leadership form the US and much more in the way of carbon reduction commitments."

Too much focus on whether there was Obama-Merkel "chemistry" masks a more consequential drift between the two countries over the key issues before them, says Ms. Conley.

"All of this speculation on the personal dynamics has only served to overshadow the growing policy disagreements," says Heather Conley, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Besides economic measures, she cites Afghanistan, the handing of Guantánamo detainees, and even climate change.

The differences suggest that the two leaders are dealing with different pressures and different interests, says Donfried. Merkel faces elections in late September; Obama must face skepticism on climate measures from industrial states.

But one area of interest for Obama will be Merkel's Russian expertise, experts say. Merkel, who hails from the former East Germany, has insights Obama can use as he prepares for his coming summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.

"Obama has a lot riding on this meeting in Moscow," says Conley, "so I think there will be a useful comparing of notes ... and a sharing of strategies."

If there wasn't any chemistry, and if Obama didn't like Merkel, then why would he sound her out about Russia? Merkel was far more vocal and critical far earlier than Obama on the Iranian election, and her positions may put her at odds with the President.

I would worry more about President Obama's relationships with Gordon Brown and Dmitry Medvedev, and I would think that, at some point, President Obama will have to cross paths with Vladimir Putin.