Don't bet your bank account yet.
Nothing is trickier than calling an election in Germany.
First of all, the huge leads of spring tend to vanish by the fall. The second reason for caution is a structural one. Germany's system of proportional representation generates coalitions. So Mr. Schroeder will have to stand on the shoulders of a junior coalition partner in order to scale the walls of the Bundeskanzleramt. And until a few weeks ago, his natural predestined partners seemed to be the Greens.