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In this Friday, Oct. 1, 2010 file photo, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and the former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, left, react during a 20 year reunification anniversary meeting of the German Christian Democratic Party in Berlin, Germany. Merkel's political longevity is already historic. Among democratic Germany's post-World War II leaders, she lags only Helmut Kohl, who led the country to reunification during his 1982-98 tenure. She could overtake even him if she is still in office on Dec. 17. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)