Anti-missile shield debate threatening Germany's coalition government

The anti-missile shield debate is threatening Germany's coalition government. Chancellor Merkel and the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) wants Europe to speak with a common voice concerning the shield. Merkel wants NATO to be in charge of discussions with the US about the shield and tacitly supports the development of a NATO anti-missile shield. The Socialist Democratic Party (SPD) talks of how the shield will ruin relations with Russia. They stress Russia's importance to Germany and are beginning to speak loudly and often in public against the missile shield.

Commentators here say that the SPD is using the subject as a means to draw support to the party during a time when support has been rather lackluster. During the last election which they lost, the SPD used the Iraq war as a means to differentiate itself from the CDU. Will the SPD's efforts be once again on the losing side?