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Even before the 10 vaguely worded points could be properly explained to all parties concerned, they had become outdated. Kohl had suggested a series of treaties with East Germany for 1990, a confederation by 1992. "I thought we would have unification in 1993 or 1994," he says. But the stampede of East Germans into the West -- 340,000 in 1989 -- convinced him that the only way to keep them at home was to take the West German system to them. In February he proposed an economic and currency union that he pushed through, against objections from his central bankers, and put into effect July 1.
Kohl was now the engineer of the Deutschland Express. He saw political unity within reach, and he was determined to grab it before the opportunity vanished. Alone among the NATO leaders, Bush signaled full speed ahead. Kohl plunged into the East German elections in March, making a triumphant six-city speaking tour, waving to huge crowds roaring, "Hel-mut! Hel-mut!" -- a reception rarely accorded Kohl in West Germany. Middle-class virtues and the dream of normality had not been suffocated by more than 40 years of communism. The conservative coalition for which Kohl campaigned, led by Lothar de Maiziere, scored an unexpected landslide.
Kohl is looking forward to a similar drive on his own behalf. His standing in the polls sank as low as 36% early last year, making it far from certain the Christian Democrats would prevail at the polls this December. With Gorbachev's agreement on the future in hand, the December election is expected to include both parts of Germany. Kohl's beaming face is on every German front page, and the polls put his popularity above 50%. He said quietly last week: "You will forgive me if I say I intend to win this election." He should be taken seriously; he is very good at such calculations. And if he does win, it will be the second time he has united his country.