Comments on: Gropergate (Video)

By: Alexander Kraft

Alexander Kraft — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 12:36:34 +0000

This is a typical US-centered discussion.

Over here in Germany, we noticed, that President Bush cannot behave, but we knew that before. And beliberately attacking a whole country, just to serve selfinterest of himself, his major donators and members of his administration is in the view of the world audience in many ways more important.

Chancellor Merkel is chairwoman of the rightwing-conservative (in German terms) Christian Democratic Union. She is used to harrasment on a daily basis by the leading men of her party.

So what do you expect of President Bush? I think his behavior is very fitting to his policies. Maybe we'll catch him at a meeting with arabian Leaders, pulling out his wiener?

This is how the President of the christian right looks like! Congrats!

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 01:56:59 +0000

Martin, without wanting to make you look dumb or anything like that, but there are two things that surely shouldn't and aren't really dominating diplomacy: personal friendships, and exclusive friendships (exclusive in the sense of excluding someone, in this case Russia). Because NO, nothing is good when friendships are "against someone", and NO a country, especially Russia, would never react to such diplomacy with something like "Oh man, thanks for reminding us how stupid we were". Thank God that no country can risk lives and money for the sake of having friendships between their democratic leaders. This again leads back to Groper-Gate: In the end, it still was inappropriate to do that.

By: Martin

Martin — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 11:00:37 +0000

At least it's good to know that they're good friends isn't it? *smile*

This is just to let my fellow American friends know, that we in Germany are very proud, that the relationship between our two countries seems to be back to normal; or even better?

There was probably no better way to demonstrate this friendship, especially given the fact, that Angela Merkel isn't that good friend with the Russian President Putin.

And now that Russia comes back into the G8 being a strong economic force due to it's strategic position on the energy market (huge natural gas reserves in Siberia, pipeline projects throughout Europe, etc), the western economies have to explicitly demonstrate a real and strong relationship, which Russia undoubtedly still tries to jeopardize.

Much greetings from Germany

By: Max Moller

Max Moller — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 05:43:48 +0000

Keep in mind..."much like his private note to Condi inquiring about the bathroom"... So he went to have a leak, his fingers got wet and there was no towel available. He just followed the SOP: slap somebody on the back, or grab an arm. That is all.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 22:56:55 +0000

Honestly, no German would ever see something sexual in this gesture. Believe this German woman. I was rather surprised that politicians like them would behave so normal and natural like friends would do and not so stiff as you expect them to be. Don't worry about the American reputation, Germans are much more relaxed about that topic. We rather wonder how anybody can make such a fuss out of it. They were just goofing around!

By: Al Capone

Al Capone — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:55:06 +0000

come on, who cares? As long as GWB doesn't nuke Germany because it is against the war in Iraq we can stand it.

By: Verena

Verena — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:26:53 +0000

Hi there, another German commenting here. Peter's comment is alright, but then again, he's a man... His last sentence "Please leave the church in the village" = don't make the thing bigger than it is, is appropriate, but GWB's behaviour clearly is not. It's not that big of a big deal because German women aren't suing their colleagues for every inappropriate gesture. Our country does have a suing culture, but lawyers are expensive and don't come a dime a dozen lie int the US. Merkel's been trying to be friends with Bush since before she got elected chancellor. But having said that, I wouldn't want MY buddies to touch my neck or give me massages. Especially without warning. Especially a married work colleague. How does GWB's wife feel about this? And doesn't Merkel's face say it all? "Don't you touch me!!!" My former boss would approach me in exactly this unexpected and unappreciated way, and I complained about this and other sexual harassment, which, in the end, cost him his job. He and Mr. Bush both have no concept of how gestures that might be appropriate in a private context (if indeed welcome) should be refrained from in public. His grabbing her shoulders strikes me as that of a helplessly uncultured oaf trying to make friends. His mother should be ashamed for not imprinting more respect for women into her son. I was taught what personal space meant when I was a kid in school.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:29:31 +0000

Me, being a German, just now stumbled across this "Grapsch-Gate" (Groper-gate) and have to say, that its an American debate, not a German one. I remember noticing the inappropriate behaviour a Pres Bush to our chancellor, but it never came to my mind or the minds of my Buddy's to hope that the American Pres gets sued for sexual harassment. "Nun lasst aber bitte mal die Kirche im Dorf!" is what my grandma would say ;-)

By: Dirk

Dirk — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:47:51 +0000

Well, the whole story is different: Before meeting the G8 in St.Petersburg Bush visited Merkel to support her party while elections in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Merkel was the one going for intimacy with the president there, caressing his arm in front of her own husband to get a kiss for welcome instead of a handshake and she was quite pleased to get this easy effort. Merkel did this also to snub the German peace-movement and to do dirt on former chancellor Gerhard SchrÃ¶der's resistance against War on Iraq. Everybody knows that Bush is too dumb to make a distinction between BBQ and G8. His behavior is ridiculous anyway - but so is Mrs Merkel's. She's the one coquettishly sexualizing politics to suppress substantial discussions. And Bush is only the idiot who thought this was friendship.

By: Val

Val — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:59:49 +0000

I agree that bush's behaviour has to be considered unappropriate. it's not about our typical german stiff/correct/distant/on time ect picture where buddy-like behaviour doesnt fit in. its simply no conduct to a woman, even more if there is official protocol to follow. it#s not about everybody else being narrow minded, it's about bush forgetting that communication is also about the receivers' end. and I understand bush as an absolute no-go. that i dont like his politics is another story. greetings from the merkel-country

By: Ralgar

Ralgar — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:45:40 +0000

Maybe it helps you a little bit.
Whatever Georg do, they cant be injure the reputation of the US (in germany, and the so called OLD EUROPE) more then he do it at the last years.

At Germany, and i am a German, that's just a behavior from that, what at the US is called a "redneck".

So we stretch our arms at the air, and bed for a man, they provide the commission of a "president of the US" again dignity, respect and proud.

My deepest compassion for you, that you must bearing such guy...

By: suck

suck — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 21:51:39 +0000

ginger is a dyke

By: Ginger

Ginger — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 18:22:13 +0000

Thousands die of starvation every night, thousands of valuable acres of rainforest go up in smoke every day, thousands suffer from abuse the world over----and this is all you can find to discuss!

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:47:27 +0000

cernig; do you mean that even in texas; they don't know the difference between bad manners and harrassment? so is belching a felony? death penalty for a fart? is deference criminal discrimination?

By: floyd

floyd — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 22:37:14 +0000

wicky; homeland security only "protects" the wimpy widdle weft. you could not carjack my car with a boxcutter, let alone an airliner full of nra members.