Merkel has accumulated much political capital. She is aware of that. At some point she might be tempted to give it up, to take a risk, stake everything on a single card. At some point – perhaps when she is faced with a major obstacle. Or perhaps it will remain just a temptation – Angela Merkel will always be Angela Merkel – tactical, cautious, ready to take risks only when these have ceased to be risks.
So what remains? The extraordinary fact that the girl from Templin became an international stateswoman – perhaps the strongest and certainly the most powerful that the Federal Republic has ever known. Angela Merkel will have the satisfaction of knowing that she has not only seen the world, as she wanted to do in her childhood dreams, but has understood it and changed its course a little.
And at some point voters will tire of her style and her party will rebel – that was what happened to Helmut Kohl. Then it will be clear that Angela Merkel's time as Chancellor is over. The zeitgeist changes and time runs out.
Angela Merkel Page 25