Now for the follow-up

Václav Klaus is a master of me-first, and sometimes this is an admirable trait. If it's true, as rumor has it, that Klaus tried to bum a ride from the airport with Barack Obama in Cadillac One, you can't blame a guy for trying. Some of this persistence would come in handy from other Czech officials, now that Obama has left. The country received wonderful global coverage during the visit, even if CNN's State of the Union did refer it as a former part of the Soviet Union and Václav Havel unnecessarily spread a negative message on ARD (and in other media) about excessive hope. The Czechs, including Havel, put enormous effort into convincing Obama to visit Prague. They should now put as much effort into spreading the word (in promotional campaigns and personal presentations) that the visit was a whopping success. A bit of American-style (and Klausian) self-promotion would go a long way. [Czech Republic United States of America Prague tourism]