My spin on Koch is that he was destined to be kingmaker, not chief. Party leader, not front-runner. He's just not a good candidate for a national election (Wulff is). I still find this speculation about whether he'll go to Berlin kind of odd. I mean, he is responsible for a major loss, and he has nothing to bring to Berlin. Koch is not someone you want to hang on to because of his talents.

Just has a couple of friends in high places. But Merkel is in a much better position, and I have more faith in her game.

...

It is astounding how little behind the scenes coverage you get in the foreign press.

I mean, these people do this for a living, right? Pretty lousy job.

I know, I know, their job is not to report, just to put a spin on stories so that it fits the narrative their paymasters want... I'm getting to that level of cynicism already, don't worry...