news to Merkel. The "person in the street" Germans were aghast that the US was spying on them, so she complained that her personal cell was being spied on. This was to tell her peoople "I am as shocked as you are. And as spied on as you are."
Political kabuki Not a word from Merkel about the USG spying on every government phone in Germany, though--which, if they were spying on her personal cell, we can assume they were doing to her entire government. Allies in the "war on terror."
As for who we consider an ally, if we're smart, the answer is no nation. Nations don't have friends. From time to time, they have certain common interests--or perhaps can be convinced they have common interests.
When that changes, "Watch your back" is good advice for any nation, from the US to Lichtenstein.
I don't know what the agenda of this blog is.
"Ostensible" ally, though? Well, if the key word is "ostensible," then the answer, of course, is almost every nation.