You Know Your Nation is In Serious Trouble When....

...the Germans are lecturing you on the merits of spending cuts. Oy vey:

Chancellor Angela Merkel championed German export strength as “the right thing” for her country, spurning President Barack Obama’s call to boost private spending as both leaders prepare for Group of 20 talks.

Merkel, addressing a business audience in Berlin today, said she told Obama in a phone call that cutting government debt is “absolutely important for us,” exposing a second point of contention ahead of the June 26-27 G-20 summit in Canada.

Reducing the budget deficit by 10 billion euros ($12 billion) per year “won’t put a brake on the world’s economic growth,” Merkel said, relating what she told Obama yesterday. Germans are more likely to spend money if they feel the government “is taking precautions” to ensure solid finances, she said.

Four days before world leaders meet in Toronto, Germany is heading for conflict with the rest of the G-20 over tighter financial regulation, a banking levy and U.S. calls to boost growth rather than cut debt.

God help us all!

VIDEO: A German Obama Ad

Yawn....Olympic Boycott???

Yep, one leader is actually going to boycott the Olympics...Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel. Here is some info:

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing.

As pressure built for concerted western protests to China over the crackdown in Tibet, EU leaders prepared to discuss the crisis for the first time today, amid a rift over whether to boycott the Olympics.

The disclosure that Germany is to stay away from the games' opening ceremonies in August could encourage President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to join in a gesture of defiance and complicate Gordon Brown's determination to attend the Olympics.

Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic, who had previously promised to travel to Beijing.

"The presence of politicians at the inauguration of the Olympics seems inappropriate," Tusk said. "I do not intend to take part."

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister, confirmed that Merkel was staying away.

Right here, we need to insert from the film Animal House, Otter's (Tim Matheson) line about,

Now we could do it with conventional weapons that could take years and cost millions of lives. No, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.

WMD Blast

AP News Alerts

Overnight:

BOISE, Idaho (AP) Sen. Larry Craig's spokesman says the senator is reconsidering his decision to resign.

This is a bad idea, Senator...

4:15PM:

WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Craig ask ethics panel to reject complaint against him.

This is still a bad idea, Senator...

Evening:

WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Ethics committee rejects Sen. Larry Craig's request, says it will review complaint against him pending any resignation.

Get. Out.

Terror Plot Thwarted in Germany

AP News Alerts:

BERLIN (AP) Germany's defense minister confirms that three men were arrested on suspicion of plotting attacks on the U.S. Air Base in Ramstein and Frankfurt's international airport.

BERLIN (AP) A German federal prosecutor says terror suspects planned to carry out "massive" bomb attacks on a U.S. air base and Frankfurt's international airport.

The AP story is here.

Links:

Nussle Confirmed as Portman's Replacement - I thought this was supposed to be such a contentious nomination...he was confirmed 69 to 24...