Snub
When the last U.S. president visited Prague - George W. Bush in
June 2007 - neither Václav Klaus nor Mirek Topolánek could be
bothered to welcome him at the airport. They sent Chancellor Jiĝí
Weigl and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg instead. Now,
with superstar Barack Obama scheduled to make an overnight
stop in Prague, both Klaus and Topolánek are coming running to
tie his shoe. Trouble is, he's wearing loafers, figuratively
speaking. Washington's priorities have changed, and Obama
doesn't really need the Czechs' help with missile defense right
now. Obama apparently originally wanted to visit Prague in
support of the idea that not all CEE countries are basket cases,
but he was then thrust straight into the wicker when the
Topolánek government unexpectedly fell. Paying anything more
than a courtesy call to Klaus might be interpreted as support of
such disruptive politics. So, yes, Obama's "romantic" Saturday
night in Prague with Michelle is a snub, but only one Czech
should take it personally.
[Czech Republic Central and Eastern Europe radar]
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