The Fourth Reich

ABC News has a longer, more complete version of the Angela Merkel quote cited in yesterday's post. She said:

The times when we could completely count on others, they are over to a certain extent. I have experienced this in the last few days. And that is why I can only say that we Europeans must really take our fate into our own hands.

Of course [we are] in friendship with the United States of America, in friendship with Great Britain and as good neighbors wherever that is possible also with other countries, even with Russia. But we have to know that we must fight for our future on our own, for our destiny as Europeans, and that's what I want to do together with you.

Angela Merkel is the latest in a line of German Chancellors who have stealthily accomplished what Adolf Hitler could not do by force - institutionalize German domination of most of continental Europe. Doing it via economics and the bargaining table in Brussels has generated less resistance but, of course, took much longer and probably wasn't as satisfying as Blitzkrieg.