Get your own house in order first, miffed German officials are telling the US, blasting America's call to pump up a bailout fund as a not-so-bright idea. "I don't understand how anyone can have such a stupid idea," said German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, referring to a US push to boost a $660 billion lending pool for troubled EU nations up to $3 trillion. "The result would be to endanger the AAA sovereign debt ratings of other member states. It makes no sense." He added: "It's always much easier to give advice to others than to decide for yourself. I am well prepared to give advice to the US government."
The harsh words are bound to strain US-German relations further in the wake of President Obama's recent scolding of EU leaders for allowing European debt to escalate to a level that it's "scaring the world." US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has been a key player behind the push to bolster available funds in the European Financial Stability Facility to shore up Italy and Spain, fearing too little help will trigger a "cascading" financial crisis, reports the Telegraph. (More Wolfgang Schauble stories.)
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