European fury grows over NSA spy scandal

(McClatchy) The German magazine der Spiegel today had a bit of fun with the spy scandal that has Europe and much of the rest of the world in an uproar.

They ran a piece about an imaginary text-ersation between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband. The Chancellor confides that she’s more than a bit concerned the U.S. President Barack Obama “never thanked us for that nice Streuselkuchen. I must raise that with him.”

Before her husband has the time to respond, a text arrives from the American president, in which he writes: “Just occurred to me that I never thanked you for the nice Streuselkuchen. It’s wonderful. I keep it on my desk and Michelle waters it every day.”

A Streuselkuchen is a cake with a butter-sugar topping. And so therein is the European perception of the U.S. spy scandal. The Americans are not only nosey, they’re incompetent. The National Security Agency may gather everything, no matter how mundane, but the Americans don’t really understand what to do with the information.

Of course, the NSA scandal is no laughing matter in Europe. The Guardian’s recent revelation that records from former NSA worker Edward Snowden indicate that the United States spied on the communications of 35 world leaders, including tapping Merkel’s precious cell phone, are taken as serious allegations. Nations worldwide are wondering if there is legal recourse, if criminal charges are possible.

Read full article here.