Michael Barone writes that Germany may be in the doghouse for as much as a generation because of the recent Bush-is-like-Hitler contretemps:

But so long as Gerhard Schröder is chancellor and George W. Bush is president, the United States will not consider Germany a reliable ally or even a reliable interlocutor. Schröder would do well not to sit around waiting for a telephone call from George W. Bush. And Germany's goal of getting a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council will have to wait another generation.

The offense was real, and the diplomatic snit being thrown in response may be sincere; but it seems to me that it could be to the Bush administration's advantage to remain offended for as long as possible.

If the German government believes that the alliance is seriously in jeopardy -- and again, it may very well be -- they are all the more likely to cooperate more enthusiastically in other aspects of the war on terrorism, in an attempt to repair the breach. It may also serve as a pretext for relocating the US central command in Europe from Germany to Poland or the Czech Republic, which may be a good idea in itself.

And if France and the other nations of Europe value America's role in keeping Germany from getting ambitious again, they may intervene with Germany on the US's behalf.

Look for some real hardball negotiations in the future over military bases, intelligence sharing, and participation in peacekeeping operations for the foreseeable future.

(Link courtesy of InstaPundit.)