Close: SPD = Social Democrats, CSU = Christian Socialists; CDU and CSU don't differ in level, instead they are in a permanent alliance based on territorial exclusivity (CSU only in Bavaria, CDU only in the remaining 15 states), and they have a joint faction in the federal parliament.

And yes, when Obama is perceived as a vote-getter, events around him are bound to become a German electoral issue...

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}