Spiegel (the German news magazine) did an outstanding article to lay out what occurred this week with the SPD Party and Martin Schulz. I would strongly recommend it (though it's in German).
At some point early on in this week, Martin Schulz basically went thirty-eight hours without any sleep. This was an effort to wrap up the coalition agreement between the two parties.
If you go back over the past year, he's put a lot of time into politics, and probably had very little sleep.
On Thursday of this past week....the crap was hitting the fan all over the SPD as Sigmar Gabriel had been maneuvered out of any significant posts within the government or his own party. By Thursday evening....Gabriel had sent out a public statement and blasted the leadership of the Party. The blast aimed at both Schulz, and the new Party chief, Nahles.
By Friday morning, the party leadership called up Schulz who was trying to finally get some rest and unloaded the position of the party....decline the Foreign Minister post. There is evidently some harsh disagreement, and at some point after lunch...Schulz chilled out and came to the conclusion that situation dimmed pretty quickly.
A logical guy....resting and getting enough sleep along the way....would have forecasted this issue back in late December, and labeled some party-post as a point where Gabriel could end up. But I don't think Schulz sat and prioritized over the approaching storm. Nor did any of the dozen SPD leaders who could have avoided this entire mess by simply having a white-board and laying out the people that they could not insult or screw-over.
In some ways, I blame the lack of sleep and rest for creating this entire environment. Everyone felt they were working against some clock....to deliver a coalition government and some kind of public-demanded democracy. In the end, it is something less.
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