Can an ill wind blow the Chancellor any good?

Observers rubbed their eyes in disbelief as Schroeder - nicknamed 'The Comeback Kid' for pulling off upsets - announced he would be rushing to Bavaria on Thursday to visit regions devastated by floodwaters pouring out of the Alps.

The chancellery has declared the trip to Augsburg an official visit - not a campaign stop - meaning Schroeder can fly down in a sleek, Luftwaffe helicopter.

It was not clear if the German leader plans to use the helicopter to tour the entire flood region and make other stops. In 2002, he donned rubber boots and a Border Police raincoat during visits to devastated flood areas, showing that he was taking charge of relief efforts. TV producers and photographers loved it.

Damage limitation

For conservative challenger Angela Merkel - who leads Schroeder in opinion polls - this year's floods are a worrying development, even if they appear to be receding and have caused less damage.

Alarmed that electioneering looks bad amid a natural disaster, her Christian Democratic alliance (CDU/CSU) abruptly cancelled a rally planned in Berlin Wednesday with its Free Democratic Party ally.

A political cartoon in the city's Tagesspiegel newspaper showed a glum Merkel watching flood coverage on TV, while in the next room Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer are almost jumping in glee over the same pictures. "This is the turning point!" shouts Fischer.

History repeating?

Iraq was also injected back into the campaign on Tuesday when it was revealed that Schroeder has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in opposing the 2003 U.

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