Is Reinfeldt, like Merkel, looking for a coalition with the Social Democrats?

Chancellor Merkel Refuses to Endorse the FDP - WSJ.com: "Mrs. Merkel refuses to attack the Social Democratic Party—with which she's locked in a so-called grand coalition—or to embrace the pro-business Free Democratic Party, traditionally the CDU's preferred partner. Her failure to clearly stand for a reform-minded government with the FDP may condemn Germany to four more years of compromises."

I can't help thinking that Reinfeldt, with his speech at the recent conference for the Nya Moderaterna, might be eying for a coalition with Socialdemokraterna that would assure that the former communists do not enter the government. That is if the Red-Greens will stay in the lead with increasing joblosses that makes the "job-line" look silly. The article above in WSJ is not the first reference I see that Merkel actually would prefer to stay in a coalition with SPD, the German Social Democrats.

It is indeed the same kind of idea that President Obama has with his insistence of the bipartisanship. Sarkozy does it another way. He hires leftish politicians into his government instead. Reinfeldt is like Merkel also the more popular politician. Steinmeier and Sahlin fare about the same. Could be that the real power is disseminated in society in a different fashion that spans the party line and that the parties want to have something going in the old vein for people to feel comfortable with.

It is clear, however, that this grand coalition rule does not fit the US where there seems to be any number of issues that currently split the country in two. Torture, or "enhanced interrogations" is one of these. The republican party has 65% Cheneysians which presumably does not shun the use of "enhanced persuasion" techniques. Among such are means of lowering the intelligence on people that you term your enemies, such as the statistically more intelligent Democrats. Violence feeds violence is conventional wisdom and I have begun to wonder if there are similar differences here in Sweden.