In a way , when it comes to Iraq , the main difference between the Sarkozy-Merkel duo and the Chirac-Schroeder pair is that the former were trying to mobilize European diplomatic power first to prevent the U.S. from invading Iraq and then to press Washington to get out of there ; the latter are adopting a benign-neglect approach while the Americans continue to invest more of their overstretched military and economic power in the quagmire .