German president resigns after truth-telling 'gaffe'

As I've often said, in politics, a 'gaffe' is when a politician strays from the official orthodoxy and accidentally tells the truth. The latest big gaffe occurred when Germany's president caused a furor after noting that his country was involved in the military occupation of Afghanistan in order to protect commerce.

Horst Kohler stated that "in emergencies military intervention is necessary to uphold our interests, like for example free trade routes, for example to prevent regional instabilities which could have a negative impact on our chances in terms of trade, jobs and income."

Although the German presidency is mostly a ceremonial post, he was widely attacked for deviating from the required narrative that the mission was only related to security and safety.

As a former head of the International Monetary Fund, Kohler has a particularly deep insight about the incestuous relationship between war and financial and commercial interests.

Following his truth-telling 'gaffe,' Kohler resigned.