What the Germans think of the Schiavo case

Germany's Der Spiegel gives us the German reaction to the Terri Schiavo case. The Europeans were already concerned that The United States was slipping into a theocracy and this has only increased that fear.

But it is Bush's decision to step in that has many scratching their heads, and indeed, such a presidential intervention in a case involving a single, previously unknown woman seems extraordinary. Some German commentators have lashed out at the Bush administration for gutting states' rights by labeling the Schiavo case an exception to the rules. And, despite Bush's efforts to avoid turning the case into a precedent, his involvement is problematic. Essentially, Schiavo's family managed to get America's increasingly influential religious right to push her case under the noses of Congress and onto the radar of the nation's born-again Christian president. One can't help but wonder if this means that US laws can be changed for those with enough political pull to present themselves as exceptions.

Sounds like the same concerns that have been voiced by both the left and the "old" right here at home.