Word: partner
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
With polls predicting that German parliamentary elections on Sept. 27 could propel the Free Democrats into government as a coalition partner with Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, Westerwelle now looks within reach of a job at least as serious as his demeanor. Such an outcome would represent a substantial shift in German politics. Governing with the Social Democrats since 2005, Chancellor Merkel, though firmly on the center-right in most questions, has often tacked to the left to preserve her coalition. She has said that she would prefer to govern with the FDP, but that would recast the Social Democrats...
...intense is Westerwelle's focus on business that Berlin insiders have tipped him to take the Finance or Economics Ministry after the elections, should he end up in government. The traditional slot for the head of the junior coalition partner, though, is the Foreign Ministry, and Westerwelle has been busily boning up on international affairs. "German foreign policy has to be value-based but also directed by our interests," he says. "Naturally, you always have to take economic interests into account - we want to sell German and European products in other countries. But you always have to maintain your values...
...says a senior Social Democrat. An awkward performer in an age of remorseless media, Westerwelle's fierce ambition for himself and his party is permanently in conflict with his natural reticence. He quietly confirmed his homosexuality five years ago by turning up at Merkel's 50th birthday with his partner. He is not drawn to identity politics, he later told an interviewer, citing a cartoon strip that depicts a gay couple in a café as best capturing his attitude. "First of all, we're gay, and secondly we want two ice cream sundaes," the pair tells the waitress...
...have called these programs an overly emotional guilt trip, the star power these occasions manage to draw doesn't hurt their cause. Frank Sinatra's performance in the 1976 MDA telethon proved particularly momentous for both the audience and Lewis himself. When Sinatra emerged, he brought Lewis' former comedic partner Dean Martin on the stage with him, bringing a tear to the host's already tired eyes. A lack of stars proved to be the downfall of a 1980 telethon to raise money for burn victims. After comedian Richard Pryor's nearly fatal burning accident that year, noted guests like...
...seasoned politicians to the Embassy in Japan - Senators Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker, former Vice-President Walter Mondale and Speaker of the House Tom Foley. The pattern was broken when Baker retired after George W. Bush's first term, and the President appointed Tom Schieffer, a friend and business partner from Texas; Obama has followed suit with the appointment of John Roos, a lawyer and Democratic fundraiser from Los Angeles...