January 10, 2006: George Bush might have thought that having a Christian Democratic Union chancellor might make things easier after nearly five years of cool relations with Gerhard Schröder. He just got his second indication in two months that post-war Germans – whether Westerners (like Schröder) or Easterners (like Angela Merkel) – have a mind of their own when it comes to evaluating American foreign policy. Only a few days before her first visit to Washington as Germany's new chancellor, Merkel called for the closure of the controversial prison camp at Guantanomo Naval Station in Cuba. "An institution like Guantánamo cannot and may not exist in this manner," Merkel said in an interview with the German news magazine "Der Spiegel". "Other ways and means for dealing with the prisoners have to be found," she added.

Representatives of all major political parties were quick to offer support for Merkel's position. Walter Kolbow, vice-chairman of the coalition partner Social Democratic Party (SPD), voiced his party's agreement with Merkel: "The Guantánamo system was and is wrong, it stood and stands in contrast to clear standards of international law." Edmund Stoiber, chairman of the coalition's smallest member, the Christian Socialist Union (CSU), also supported Merkel's position: "The chancellor points out correctly that the USA – which supports peace and freedom worldwide – should reconsider its position on Guantánamo." Even the opposition parties in the Bundestag were quick to praise Merkel for her clear position.

The conservative daily "Die Welt" commented on the truthfulness of Merkel's criticism. "On the eve of her visit to the USA, Angela Merkel found clear words for the dark side of the fight against terrorism. Americans and Germans now know how to take the chancellor. Openness has never done any harm. Voicing unease over Guantánamo is part of an honest stock-taking. A majority of Germans feels this way. Ignoring this fact would be deceiving Washington" (January 9, 2006).

With her criticism of Guantánamo Merkel has been more direct than other leading European politicians. A government spokesman in Washington rejected Merkel's call for closure of Guantánamo, but German commentators considered the tone and choice of words in the American response to be moderate. President Bush's administration places high hopes on Merkel and her stated desire to improve transatlantic relations with the United States after the tension between Bush and Gerhard Schröder. Merkel's advisors are pleased that President Bush will spend considerable time with her and has invited her to stay overnight in a Presidential guest house directly across the street from the White House. Merkel does want to make clear, though, that relations can only be improved if both sides are willing to work on improving them.

When Merkel met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice five weeks ago in Berlin, the German press was having a field day over reports that the CIA had set up secret prison camps in Europe to interrogate terror suspects. At a joint press conference following the meeting, Merkel stated that her American visitor had admitted mistakes in America's anti-terror campaign. Rice sidestepped the issue, and later a denial was issued. Merkel made no further comments on what was said behind closed doors. However, when asked later by a reporter about the incident, she said that she would stick to her version of the story. Initial indications are that Angela Merkel, representing a new generation of German leadership, won't be a patsy for the administration in Washington – or anyone else, for that matter.