German Chancellor Says Religion Is Behind Bush Decisions

Germany's Ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose second term was marked by opposition to the war in Iraq, describes in his memoirs "Decisions: My Life in Politics" how he was suspicious of President Bush's constant references to his Christian faith.

"I am anything but anti-American," Schroeder said. He recalls the tears in his eyes as he watched television footage of people jumping from the burning World Trade Center on Sept. 11. He knew Germany would have to react and fulfill its requirements as a U.S. ally which could have meant the German army's participation in an American military mission.

During Bush's 2002 visit to Berlin, Schroeder was surprised at Bush's "exceptionally mild" speech to the German parliament. While meetings with Bush were friendly, Schroeder said he could not reconcile himself with the feeling that religion was the driving force behind many of Bush's political decisions.

"What bothered me, and in a certain way made me suspicious despite the relaxed atmosphere, was again and again in our discussions how much this president described himself as 'God-fearing,'" Schroeder writes, adding he is a firm believer in the separation of church and state.

Schroeder accused some elements in the U.S. as being hypocritical when it comes to secularism in government. "We rightly criticize that in most Islamic states, the role of religion for society and the character of the rule of law are not clearly separated," he says. "But we fail to recognize that in the USA, the Christian fundamentalists and their interpretation of the Bible have similar tendencies."