He is a harmless boob who is on the way out. I wonder how he likes second chair?

I haven't kept track of the SPD the since it lost the election, and I don't know what post, if any, that he is holding in the CDU/CSU/SPD Grand Coalition.

Gerhard Schroder entered office in 1998 with promises that he would re-spark the German economy, but instead his labor and tax policies have only made matters worse. In 1997, when he was running for office, Schroder promised that his government would lower unemployment to 5 percent. It was seven percent at the time; former Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the Christian Democrats were kicked out of power. Now 7 years later, Schroder is having the same problems, with unemployment at nearly 12%. Economic stagflation has become so bad that in front of the Christian Democrats headquarters in Berlin, the party members have put up a sign updating people on the unemployment rate in the country, which only goes up everyday. To be fair, Germany would be having economic problems regardless of, for they are facing the same "demographic crunch" that many Western nations are facing, that is, as the workforce ages and retires, there aren't enough young people to replace them. As such, there is a lot of immigration coming in from the Arab world to replace these workers, but that has sparked racial tensions in the country that have not been seen since the 1930's under Nazi rule. Now take for instance the case of Bavaria, a province in Southern Germany where the Christian Democrats are still dominant. (By the way, the Christian Democrats in Germany are somewhat akin to the Republican Party in the United States). There, unemployment holds at 4 percent, about 6 percent less than the national average, they don't suffer from as heavy of a tax burden in this part of the country and industry is actually growing here faster than at the rate in the rest of Europe!! Germany currently has the lowest growth rate in all of Europe. Now of course, there have been problems with re-unifying Germany; the trouble with integration is that they are still having trouble because those areas were economically depressed and lacked the infrastructure that West Germany had. That explains part of the economic problems in Germany, but is certain does not explain it all. The cost of labor is too high in Germany, the tax burden needs to be reduced, and a more efficient social services system needs to be procured. Schroder has not going to life up to those standards. The example of Bavaria needs to be followed if Germany is going to get back up on its feet again. It looks like Schroder might end up staying in power after Sunday's elections after all. Many were anticipating a smashing victory for the Christian Democrats under Angela Merkel, but it actually turns out that the election was a virtual tie. Being that Germany has a parliamentary system that follows proportional representation, Merkel would have to partner up with one of Schroder's coalition partners in order to form a party. No one really wants to at this point, so it looks like there is going to be a grand coalition government with Schroder and Merkel sharing all the power. Whatever hopes for reforms that were in the horizon are now dashed, as Schroder is intent on keeping the status quo. To top it off, there is a lot of infighting within the CDU, with many blaming the electoral outcome on Merkel, who ran a weak and unenthusiastic campaign with bad personnel choices. It would have been better for US-German relations had Merkel come on, who would have strengthened trans-Atlantic ties. It probably would have also been better for European integration. One way or another, no party here got a solid mandate.

Good at self-promotion, and nothing else. Left a financial shambles behind in his previous job as state premier; now repeating the performance on a larger stage. Power-hungry opportunist (like Kohl); unlike Kohl, can't put his power to any worthwhile use, and has sold out his government's moral authority to Chirac and Putin. Latest news: Desperate to sell arms to China, because it has made progress on human rights. I must have missed that information somewhere....

sorry all -there is a COMPLETE misunderstanding of why schröder acted in the iraq conflict like he did: hes surely not mr.chiracs asslicker. the opposite is right: he was so happy to found any other politician who supported his policy. cause he did the policy to win an election campaign, that was nearly lost. in general hes the wakest most opportunistic chancellor we had so long. this is why he said: we ll NEVER Will take part. neither when the UN decides so. in comparison mr. chirac hat a clear position. but he has other abilities. he is a master of speech without content. and he has a good feeling about public relations. so he likes to give very different roles - always that one which gives him the biggest support. to be understood right: i liked his decision, not to take in a war that was made for national interests not for humanity. cause otherwise i m asking myself where the pressure is on such autocratic systems like saudi arabia. that are called friends. or where the troups are that helping the people in the genozid of ruanda. where no oil exists. but this is another subject. up to now his the most worse chancellor germany ever saw. he has no visions, no values. but he likes to stay in power.

he is a stupid commie that licks Chirac' ass

The only good thing Gerhard Schröder has done is not send troops to Iraq.

Straight forward and with a good vision for his country and people. Correct in standing up to the U.S.A. in opposing the invasion of Iraq.

I don't have a clue how most of you guys figured out your opinion, but it surely is wrong. some of you should be turning the books they read around the right way and stop buying books like george bushs favourite childhood book about a very hungry catterpillar, which suprisingly was published in his last year at college. You would do yourselves a great job in turning of FOX-News which acctually is closly connected to Georgyboy and read some work of an independent journalist who describes the pressure set on him by the american army while he was trying to tell te truth. You could try it with Michael Moore, too ("stupid white man"). Gerhard Schroeder did a great job in standing up against the U.S-government, because there was no real proof for what America told the rest of the world - you should all know that by now. Germany was doing a hell of a job in Afghanistan and is therefore keeping america's back free for new idiotic attacks agains other countries. Germany suspected America of beeing mostly interested in iraqi.oil. If this isn't true why did the us army then only guarded the ministry of oil in bagdad while everything else was robbed by street gangs. Probably not because it was full of information about where and how much oil was to be found in iraq, but just because it was the nearest to secure. Schroeder sure not is the best chancellor Germany ever had, but he surely tries to without beeing corrupt - getting seldom, you know. Germany and most of the other coutries in the world are facing hard times with a braking down economy and the social security is going down the hills. I Hope Schroeder will be able to keep it up as good as they can and stop going american standards, where poor people lose most of their socila protection threw new laws and a government supporting the richest.

very lucky we don't attack him

Ungrateful puppet of the French.

Told Bush-Head to take a hike. Good advice.

Anti-American, called George Bush another Adolph Hitler. Supports Saddam Husain, the Palistinians and against the Jews. Social-Democrat who dammaged the German Economy.

Germany should never forget the help and support of USA in past. Unfortunely Mr. Schroeder seems to have a long-term memory lost and preferes to stick with russians . I hope that nothing terrible as september 11 needs to happen to wake Mr. Schroeder from his dream

How is Germany still considered an ally? They dont support ANYTHING we do. Therefore, they are not our allies. Germany should not be allowed to get any oil out of Iraq when we are done there. Only the countries that helped us should get some of the black richhness. Schroder is like a coward Hitler.

Crypto-Nazi Coward.

Gerhard Schroder is a world leader that is too anti-American and too leftist.

Germany won't solve its unemployment problems until the government can break the hold the labor unions have on them. The unions are running the country into the ground.

Too leftist... his govt and economy is in shambles.

He kept his employment up while attempting (and failing) to do something abouth the unemployment. Actually more and more people are needed to keep track of the ever rising unemployment rate! I also fear that the German infamous angst of "Auslander" (foreigners) will re-appear because more end more of them are coming in. Put these 2 together and you got a problem...I am not sure whether Gerhard will be able to deal with this issue.

This guy is the worse thing to happen to Germany since the Nazis.

Her is a man who has been left to govern a nation already consumed with one of the highest taxation brackets in the world coupled with monies earmarked for eastern Germany to bring it up to par with the western half, a severe influx of gastarbeitern (guest workers) from other nations living in a country already teeming with social unrest unseen since the 1920s and 1930s, where racial flareups have become more common and neo-Nazi promises of "Germany for the Germans" (read: white Germans) have become louder and more commonplace. I'd have to say that he and the Social Democrats are doing a helluva job, given the political scandals and other messes left behind by Helmut Kohl, the Christian Democrats, and the corporations who were given their usual tax breaks to further erode Germany's economy and add to a nation's angst and weltanschauung of feeling overburdened and resentful of supporting former citizens of a socialist utopia that was intentionally corrupted by men and women who gave socialism a bad name. The Germans are a good people already saddled with numerous crises who are doing their collective best to rectify their situation(s), with the silent Christian Democrats looking the other way or offering lip service. Keep up the good work, Herr Kanzler Shroder. Sie wurden einen gutes Job tun, und Deutschland wird besser und mehr starker immer Ihn sein.

Smile, cos it could be worse. So I smiled and it got badder.