[If "Köhler" is not possible, please write at least "Koehler", not "Kohler" - it works with Schroeder, too, after all. Okay, umlaut nazi hath spoken.]
It's huge insofar as it's the second conservative resignation in one week, further adding to bad publicity about Merkel's gubernatorial mayhem at the moment.
Also, Merkel and Westerwelle, the current secretary of state and party leader of her coalition partner, made him president before the 2005 parliamentary elections, so he was meant as a symbol for imminent Black-Yellow reign (the colours of the governing coalition parties). In this election, however, conservatives and liberals against all expectations clearly missed a majority -- the result was a Grand Coalition of conservatives and social democrats.
The 2009 elections, though, finally brought Black-Yellow into power. Since then, though, the coalition has almost exclusively garnered criticism. The fact that he resigns while the conservative-liberal coalition is in trouble is ironic and perfectly useable to mock the decline of the once so victorious coalition.
The federal president is quite a figurehead, even though he can influence legislation. He is the one signing bills into law, and if he has doubts about a bill being constitutional, he can refuse to sign it.
@Rob: Actually Rob in at least 30 states (you can guess about where) it is legal for restaurants to refuse service to homosexuals. So that is already happening. Sometimes it feels this country is moving backwards instead of forwards. tsk tsk.
Thank God in a classroom full of mostly white children I was the only Javier. There was another Javier in the school but he was in a different grade at least. That said I think I will name my child Quetzalcoatl.
@BookishLookish: Ahem! Salma a bad actress! Have you seen Fools Rush In with Chandler! Okay maybe by some standards she is a questionable actress but a fierce Latina nonetheless!
And No, Mexico would not want her either. Something tells me her base has very few Mexicans (or people of color).
Rrrrrrrr
@seanlaughlin: Well technically they are white people. Hispanics without any indigenous or african heritage are considered "white". Basically white = not black.