Blue revenge

Jiří Paroubek is turning out to be Josef Tošovský's biggest defender. Paroubek told Právo that Tošovský is a decent person and that it's a low blow for someone to settle political scores with him in such a way. Paroubek has little in common politically with Tošovský, but he has a well-known dislike for MFD journalist Jaroslav Kmenta, who printed the StB material. Paroubek apparently fears that future police leaks could hit closer to home. If Paroubek is right in arguing that "blue ODS totalitarianism" is behind Tošovský's troubles, what might ODS be hoping to achieve? Destroying Tošovský's reputation could be sweet revenge for the events of 1998, when Václav Havel appointed Tošovský premier, but the more-important impact could be a year from now. The Tošovský incident will make it difficult for the Havel camp to put forth a credible presidential candidate. [Czech Republic MF Dnes Czechoslovakia state police Czech National Bank]