GW Discourse

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Angela Merkel was turning her Teutonic skepticism on the role of central banks.

More interesting from a political science perspective were the photographs that ran with the story, which depicted Merkel in Saarbrueken, Germany, speaking to a rally held for European parliamentary elections.

Note the position of the O in Europa and the effect it creates:

AFP/Getty images

In the 2008 U.S. elections, conservative would-be iconoclasts noted the same phenomena occuring with the ubiquitous O symbol  in the Obama campaign. Exampla grata:

Is Merkel borrowing a page from the Obama campaign book? It makes sense. Despite his support of continued German presence in Afghanistan,  Obama was wildly popular with Berliners when he spoke in the city in July of last year. Not only are the EU Parlimentary elections on the horizon, but  Merkel is facing domestic elections in 2009. Merkel’s greatest deficit is widely considered by pundits to be a lack of charisma. Who has charisma to spare? Obama. Also, Joan D’Arc.

But as a word of caution to Mrs. Merkel – some saints are martyred.