Report on Recent Summit of European Leaders

Joschka Fischer is waxing poetic. He's the German Foreign Minister. He just gave props to the Dutch, and passed the mic.

So the euro leaders met in Brussels on Nov. 4-5, and this is some meeting in Berlin where the Germans are rehashing what happened.

Wolfgang Schauble is dropping science. He's the Opposition Foreign Policy Spokesman Christian Democratic Union/Social Union. Everyone is smiling but I don't see why what he's saying is funny. Now he's really losing it. People are clapping. This guy is a compelling speaker. You don't even have to hear his voice. He jerks his head when he emphasizes things, he points his fingers, he takes off his glasses and puts them on. He's tearing the government a new one for asking to go deeper into dept; he says they are in debt enough.

Hold on, I have to go gold bond my jimmies,

Ok. Now Wolfgang is talking about Arafat. I wonder if everyone named Wolfgang is this spunky. Now, Iran. "We should not quarrel if there is no cause for it." That's a good sentiment. I guess he pretty much agrees with Joschka here. Now he's talking about the european relationship with the US - the "transatlantic relationship." Wolf keeps on yelling at Joschka for the stuff that J-bomb left out of his policy speech. He is saying that Hungary and Poland are basically pulling their soldiers from Iraq.

I think he is emphasizing that Germany should be more cooperative with the United States. That's pretty interesting. I usually assume that the US has acted so arrogantly that other countries are totally justified in going against us. But Wolf here seems to be making the point that Germany should at least act interested in cooperating, in the interest of having a multilateral future, even if they don't agree with the decisions of the US. He's saying Germany should let bygones be bygones with the US's stupidity in the past. What can be done now to make things better? I think that's a good outlook. Regardless of whether you agree with how things have happened, the question should always be, "What is the best way to handle things right now?" It doesn't make sense to dwell on whatever injustices led to the current situation. You should always do what is best, without being resentful or vengeful. That is the pinnacle of intelligence, to put efficiency over ego, to emphasize the future over the past, to do what is right and not what is reasonable.

That's the end of that show. 5.87 miles