Angela Merkel and Condoleezza Rice were doing a good job of healing the rift between Germany and the US last Tuesday, until Germany's new chancellor made a serious diplomatic gaffe.
The US secretary of state had admitted the kidnap of a German citizen by the American security services was a mistake, Ms Merkel said. As soon as the press conference was over US officials denied Ms Rice has said any such thing.
So it wasn't a mistake to kidnap a German citizen and lock him up secretly for five months even though he wasn't even the guy you thought he was?
I guess the Bush administration truly is infallible.