The Hand's on the Other Foot Now!

Now, I'm not one to gloat, and I'm certainly not a fan of government gridlock, but I have to admit I'm a bit pleased with the uncertainty following the recent German elections. As you may recall, in the days following the 2000 U.S. Presidential election, there was a fair amount of (holier-than-thou) comment in the international press along the lines of "How could such a thing happen in the United States?" Well, Germany, now you know. Oh, I certainly understand that this is hardly the same sort of thing--though I like how Schroeder seems to be insisting on a PM role despite his party losing the CDU v. SPD vote--but the very idea that the formation of a government should be held up because (gasp!) the electorate is split!? How...how...democratic.

On a side note, in my search for a nice Angela Merkel image I encountered a good many seriously unflattering and/or manufactured ones. I guess the left's fetish for Photoshopping as a means of political expression is not a strictly American phenomenon.