Obama and Merkel need each other

US President Barack Obama has met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington and awarded her the Medal of Freedom. That the atmosphere at the meeting was highly congenial and the tensions over Germany's hesitant stance on Libya seemed forgotten works to the advantage of both politicians, notes the conservative daily Lidové Noviny: "Obama and Merkel are in similar situations at present. The US president is battling with a stagnating economy while the German Chancellor is struggling with the euro crisis, the energy turnaround and now the deadly E. coli epidemic. And both will soon have to defend their posts. The US holds presidential elections next year and Germany elects a new parliament in 2013. A joint photo shoot, accompanied by spirited words about their indispensable partnership, can only help matters here. Obama can refute the criticism that he is forgetting Europe and Merkel can boast a strong ally."

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