Christian Wulff has demeaned himself and the office of head of state with his hunger for petty discounts, airline upgrades and free vacations with the rich and famous. Taken together, his transgressions reveal a man who isn't fit to be president. He should step down.

German President Christian Wulff during a visit to Rome on
Monday. Photo: DPA

Christian Wulff allowed rich friends to pay for his luxurious vacations. Christian Wulff flew in a higher class than the one he had been booked in, but without paying for it. Christian Wulff received a discounted mortgage loan for his house. Christian Wulff drove a car for which he had received a discount.

So what? Aren't these minor details that fall short of the scandal threshold, forgivable sins? We are already hearing that some people are getting annoyed with the media for its constant revelations of minor transgressions. Some even believe the real scandal isn't Wulff's behavior but the determination on the part of the press to hunt down a story.

But that isn't true. The scandal lies in the accumulation of details. All of the revelations come together to form a picture, a picture of a character that revolves around three concepts: perks, upgrades and self-abasement. These concepts run counter to what is expected of a politician in a democracy. They especially run counter to what is expected of a German president.

Take perks, for example. Wulff literally seeks out discounts. He doesn't want to pay the prices that a normal citizen would have to pay for his lifestyle, for such expenses as his house, his car and his vacations. Wulff uses his public offices to secure his discounts, which, in the case of a gift, amount to 100 percent. They give him the privilege to accept perks from rich friends or companies -- who hope to get something in return.

So far, no one has been able to prove that the president is corrupt. But anyone who attaches so much importance to receiving perks as Wulff does cannot escape the suspicion that he is corruptible, and that he earns his privileges by doing something in return. He should not have been allowed to expose his official positions to this suspicion.