The Germans’ Sensitive Chancellor Becomes Ill

Germany’s Green Party called on the government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to send troops to participate in a possible U.N. force in Iraq. Schroeder rejected the Greens’ overture, saying that the suggestion that German forces be deployed made him “want to puke.”
That’s the refined European sensibility at work, I guess. Schroeder was never bothered by reports of mass graves, amputated tongues, systematic rapes or germ factories. But the thought of doing something constructive to help keep the peace makes him sick.
I understand that there are practical advantages to cooperation with western European countries like Germany and France. Just don’t try to tell me that we should look to them for moral guidance.