In the middle of it all, Annalena Baerbock changes the direction of attack. It's Sunday, the evening of the Trielles on TV, and the Greens' candidate for chancellor knows: now or never. Her values ​​are falling, but at this moment she has both rivals ahead of the run: Olaf Scholz from the SPD and Armin Laschet from the Union. She has just given up on Scholz because, in her opinion, as finance minister, he released the necessary money for anti-corona air filters in schools too late. She was just about to blame him for the fact that Germany's children couldn't go to school for so long, but now their pupils swivel over to Laschet, and the straight line comes straight away: "You shake your head !?" Laschet, soundlessly amazed: "Ms. Bae ..." She continues: "We talked about it together!" - Laschet,already with a little voice: "Ms. Baerbock ..."

Konrad Schuller

Political correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in Berlin.

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It didn't do him any good.

When he caught himself, Baerbock had long since advanced in her text: how she proposed solutions, how no one listened, neither the Union nor the SPD.

A guy on the left, a guy on the right, in between a woman who is serving.

That's how it went that evening.

Baerbock had difficult moments this spring and summer. After she had fought for the leadership of the Greens together with Robert Habeck at the beginning of 2018, her party always seemed to be looking up. Discipline, loyal cooperation and the will to power brought the Chancellery within sight. But then she made mistakes. Her personal values ​​plummeted, and with her those of the party. For a while she looked personally insecure. But now she has concentrated on what she can do: fight, risk - and then trust that, with a lot of hardship and good luck, things will go well.

That has worked several times.

When she ran for leadership of her party in late 2017, no one had her on the radar.

At that time, she beat Habeck, the Realo top dog from the Jamaica coalition in Schleswig-Holstein, with her announcement by a few hours.

Her application was all the more daring because it broke all the rules.

Just like Habeck, she is real, even ultra-real.

Your step in the ring contradicted the iron proportional law of the Greens, according to which both wings must be present in the double tip.

But on the other hand, what could she lose?

At that time it was not high enough to fall deep.

Even defeat would have brought something: fame, a reputation for courage.

So she grabbed it, and Habeck then said in a tone of admiration: "What a move!"

Baerbock ran over Habeck

When she took power the second time, he was the victim himself. It was last spring. As an apparently ideal duo, the two had allowed the party to rise so high that the risk of running for chancellor of their own became a real option. Only: They had not yet made out which of them would become it. Habeck said he was ready, Baerbock too.

In the end she ran over him. In the personal ratings they were tied, but men entered the race for the SPD, Union and FDP. Everyone knew: if Baerbock now says she wants to do it, Habeck is powerless. Any resistance would have irreparably dismantled it in the gender culture of the Greens. And so Baerbock presented her lead partner with a fait accompli around Easter time. She made it clear that she would definitely reach for the candidacy for chancellor - one way or another. He had to swallow and be silent.