The Oily Kraut

Think back to the run-up to the Iraq War.  Think about the allegations from the Michael Moore crowd, about Bush and his oil cronies, who went to war in Afghanistan so they could build a pipeline.  Think about the guardians of peace, those brave nations who dared to stand up to the fascist Bush junta:  Russia, France, China, and Germany.  The Franco/German alliance was held in particularly high regard by left-wingers in both Europe and America, a shining example of the way that peaceful and civilized nations should act.  Which makes this revelation all the more delicious.

Germany’s former chancellor Gerhard Schröder was yesterday at the centre of damaging allegations of sleaze over his decision to accept a lucrative job with Russia’s biggest company.

Opposition MPs joined forces to denounce Mr Schröder - who last week confirmed that he was to become chairman of state-controlled Russian giant Gazprom’s North European Gas Pipeline company. Mr Schröder was accused of bringing German politics into disrepute and of “cronyism” and “corruption”.

Mr Schröder signed the controversial pipeline deal for a $6bn (£3.4bn) gas link between Germany and Russia under the Baltic Sea with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, just two weeks before leaving office.

The former chancellor yesterday rejected the criticism and announced that he would take legal action over reports he would be paid between €200,000 (£134,000) and €1m a year. Those figures are “much too high”, Mr Schröder told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

“For me it is a thing of honour to help with the pipeline project,” he was quoted as saying. “I supported the project politically in the past because I think it makes sense.”

That’s right, folks.  Germany’s white knight for peace just committed a more overtly pro-oil act than anything Bush has done during his five years in office.  And you won’t hear a fucking peep about it from Michael Moore or any of the rest of the apoplectic Bush haters.