What Klaus wants

Václav Klaus couldn't have been clearer yesterday. "I consider the Lisbon treaty to be a tragic mistake," he told TV Prima, "and I've never said anything else." Mirek Topolánek couldn't have been clearer either. He told MFD that the difference between Klaus and him is that Klaus wants to take the CR back into Russian bondage. Klaus's problem is that the majority of Czechs don't want to leave the EU, much less return to the Russian sphere of influence. That's why Lisbon is such a godsend for him. He can delay passage on the domestic level, veto it if necessary, use various proclamations to prime EU leaders to the point of total exasperation, and then put the blame on Brussels for kicking the CR out of the EU for not ratifying the treaty. This would allow Klaus and his type to exercise "independent policy" without the bother of EU oversight. Not that EU oversight has gotten in the way much so far. [Czech Republic European Union association agreement MF Dnes televize television reform]