Fischer’s Testimony

I haven’t posted anything about the "Visa Scandal" since I’m not familiar with all of the intricacies of the charges and countercharges.  Evidently the CDU senses that Joschka Fischer is vulnerable here, and has been making the most of the scandal in the runup to the elections next month in NRW.  I also know that the fallout from the scandal has damaged the relations between Germany and the Ukraine: the euphoria following the the Orange Revolution has quickly subsided.

Yesterday, Fischer testified on live television for nearl 12 hours and proved himself as master of the "rope-a-dope" technique: admitting mistakes, taking blame and then firing back at his political opponents.  (from Reuters)

"The responsibility is mine. Write it down, Fischer is to blame," he
said in a hotly anticipated appearance broadcast live on German
television. "I should have been informed and taken action earlier than
I did. That was my failure."

But after admitting mistakes, a combative Fischer shifted gears
and in sharp exchanges with commission members denied looser visa
policies put in place by his ministry were directly responsible for the
problems on Germany’s borders.

Looking composed in a sober black pinstriped suit and trademark
wire-rimmed glasses, Fischer also accused his opponents of using the
visa affair, which has badly damaged his image and support for his
Greens party, for political gain.

"They are doing this because they want me out of the way,"  Fischer said. "But for that this is simply not enough."

The visa affair has received prominent play in the German press
since allegations of widespread abuses at the German consulate in Kiev
surfaced at the start of the year.

It has touched a nerve in a country where many citizens are
fearful that low-paid eastern European immigrants are snatching their
jobs.

The conservative opposition have jumped at the opportunity to
attack Fischer, a close ally of Gerhard Schroeder who, despite his
tarnished image, is still seen as crucial to the Chancellor’s
re-election hopes.

Fischer played down the seriousness of the charges, but if his policies led to thousands of criminals entering Germany, and he ignored the warnings about this, then it has to be a serious matter.  It is admirable that he subjected himself to this televised grilling and admitted his own guilt in the affair.  That is a nice contrast to Bush administration officials like Condoleezza Rice, Alberto Gonzales, and John Bolton, who testified only reluctantly (about far more serious matters, such as weapons and torture) and could lie with impunity.  But if he said: "The responsibility is mine. Write it down, Fischer is to blame" then he must bear the consequences and submit his resignation.