The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 3 of 3)

Gerhard Schroeder 's SPD Party, which controls the city government of Berlin, approved the bulldozing of a memorial at the former Berlin Wall's Checkpoint Charlie border crossing. At that site, a local Berlin Wall museum had leased space and installed 1,065 crosses commemorating those individuals who were killed trying to escape communist East Germany. /p>

The lease is up, and the owner wants the land back, but here's the political rub. The SPD-backed government wanted the tear-down to occur on July 4. Before coming to meet with President Bush earlier in the week, Schroeder was aware of the controversy, but his office declined to intervene. Late Tuesday there was talk that the bulldozing might be delayed until early July 5 Berlin time -- which would still be the Fourth of July in the U.S.

Schroeder faces a tough election later this year in which he and his party are expected to lose support. There are rumors that Schroeder -- even if he and his ruling coalition hold on -- will step down and look for a high profile job in the private sector, possibly with an American bank in New York, where he and his wife have family.

topics:
Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, NATO, Unions