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Iraq key issue in German elections
(CNN) -- You know how cynics say the White House is trying to shift the agenda from the economy to Iraq in order to win the election? Well, it's been tried -- in another country. And it may be working -- not the way the White House would like, but the way that earns the political Play of the Week. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had a problem: the economy. He got elected in 1998 on a promise to bring down unemployment. He didn't. So when the campaign started this summer, Schroeder's party was running behind the conservative opposition led by Edmund Stoiber. Suddenly the Iraq issue emerged. And Schroeder found a way to turn the campaign around: a firm and unconditional "Nein" to German participation in any strike against Iraq. Schroeder said, "Under my leadership, Germany will not participate in military action." Schroeder's defiant opposition to attacking Iraq electrified the campaign and seemed to turn his party's fortunes around. They went from nine points behind in early August to a tie in early September to a narrow lead in the latest polls. Schroeder's "no war" message struck a deep chord with German voters. Anti-American? Anti-Bush? Most likely, anti-war. A member of his Cabinet created uproar this week when she said, "Bush wants to divert attention from his domestic problems. It's a classic method. It's one that Hitler used.'' The truth is, it's one that Schroeder used. It made him sound decisive, while his opponent sounded evasive. Stoiber said, "I do not want to go on a national path without agreement with the other Europeans." Schroeder has made this a horse race too close to call. He seized opportunities to revive his campaign. We'll know Sunday whether he wins or loses. But we know now that it was the political Play of the Week. If Stoiber wins, the message will be, "The economy, stupid." If Schroeder is re-elected, the message will be, "Iraq trumps economy." Something the White House might like to see happen in domestic politics, but not in other countries.
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