Author Topic: German President Koehler quits  (Read 1638 times)

hofelina

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German President Koehler quits
« on: June 01, 2010, 06:46:59 PM »
derspiegel.net


Horst Köhler's resignation on Monday came as a shock to Germany. But it was long clear that he was unhappy in his job, and his departure will allow a fresh start for the office of the president.

As German President Horst Köhler announced his resignation on TV, he appeared to be close to tears. Could the moment have been any stranger? What a surreal minute in German history. It was as if time in politics stood still for a moment. The entire country held its breath.

The moment of shock must now be followed by sober analysis. It exposes a harsh but simple truth: Horst Köhler and the office of president didn't fit together. They weren't made for each other. He had also noticed that -- long before Monday. It made him an unhappy president, and it's why the criticism over his comments on Afghanistan a week ago led him to step down. He must have been deeply hurt that no one from the governing parties came to his aid, to support him or defend him in the controversy. Not even Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The man and the office just didn't fit. The form his resignation took -- this feeling of being offended, this mix of self-pity and anger towards others, confirms this. A German federal president doesn't resign because -- within the scope of a normal process of democratic debate -- he is criticized. That's an overreaction that doesn't befit the office.

What now? Germany will survive this political shock. The gap that Köhler left will be filled. There are clever candidates in most of the parties who would be suitable for this highest office. Merkel, FDP chief and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and the opposition leaders could quickly agree on someone to replace Köhler. A clear, cross-party decision, without party political maneuvers would be the wisest move. In this way they could maintain the dignity of the office and secure the citizens' trust in the dependability of democracy. But will they do this? One can only hope so.

Roland Nelles is SPIEGEL ONLINE's Berlin bureau chief and head of the Politics and International News Desk.




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hofelina

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2010, 06:48:29 PM »
this statement caused him a lot of unpopular criticism;

The president had become the target of intense criticism following remarks he made during a surprise visit to soldiers of the Bundeswehr German army in Afghanistan on May 22. In an interview with a German radio reporter who accompanied him on the trip, he seemed to justify his country's military missions abroad with the need to protect economic interests.

"A country of our size, with its focus on exports and thus reliance on foreign trade, must be aware that ... military deployments are necessary in an emergency to protect our interests -- for example when it comes to trade routes, for example when it comes to preventing regional instabilities that could negatively influence our trade, jobs and incomes," Köhler said.

It sounded as though Köhler was justifying wars for the sake of economic interests, in the context of the Afghan mission which is highly controversial in Germany and throughout Europe. der Spiegel


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hubag bohol

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2010, 07:03:03 PM »
Well, the position of German president is more ceremonial than anything else. Although the resignation must be a bother to Chancellor Merkel, there is no reason why it should disturb the status quo, especially Germany's central role in the EU. Gawas pa, sakto baja tingali ang iyang paniid bahin sa pag-apil-apil sa Germany sa Afghanistan. But then the shadow of history looms large over post-Hitlerian Germany. In the end, it's realpolitik, as always.

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2010, 10:47:49 PM »
at least he knew when to go.  our own outgoing one looks like she wants to start all over again and just might end up on top again.

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hofelina

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2010, 04:52:04 AM »
It is not anchored in the German constitution that the military can be use to protect its economic interests, he showed it is proper to go after his faux-pas.

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hubag bohol

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2010, 09:22:59 AM »
Mao bitaw nakalisod aning naa sa posisyon, usa ka sipjat, jabo ka na.

After two generations, the echoes of Hilter's adventurism still reverberate loudly...  

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2010, 09:37:27 AM »
So he resigned for committing that mortal sin that a politician must never make: he told the truth.

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hubag bohol

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2010, 10:57:52 AM »
It appears that the president's mistake was in admitting publicly what ought to be (or is being) pursued quiety. It does not have to be announced that all the resources of a government are fused in a unified vision of national self-interest. The military is a resource that, whether you like it or not, figures in any and all foreign initiatives of a government. One is reminded that it was Frederick the Great who said: "Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."

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cujo

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2010, 01:39:46 PM »
It appears that the president's mistake was in admitting publicly what ought to be (or is being) pursued quiety. It does not have to be announced that all the resources of a government are fused in a unified vision of national self-interest. The military is a resource that, whether you like it or not, figures in any and all foreign initiatives of a government. One is reminded that it was Frederick the Great who said: "Diplomacy without arms is like music without instruments."

Frederick the Great.Was he or was he not a homosexual or bisexual.

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hofelina

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Re: German President Koehler quits
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2010, 02:40:34 PM »
ang iyang gihimo angay sondon sa mga politiko nga adunay delicadeza, kon magpataka ka unya dili uyon ang kadaghanan, kay nag paka-ulaw man lagi, resign. I wish those incompetent politicians have this trait to preserve honor and dignity in public office.

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