Agreed on the fact that Trichet and al. behave quite badly but, to me, it's not stupidity, it's more cowardice.
ECB and the Fed are having different official goals : both have to care abbout inflation but only Fed is supposed to help growth and employment.
Thing is, if Trichet would have care about growth, noone would dare currently to tell him he shouldn't but he is just one good soldier doing what he's been told to, and nothing else. Quite sad.