Why Havel sees Green

Why would Václav Havel publish his quasi-memoirs, "Concisely Please," three weeks before the elections? Surely it's no coincidence. Havel is openly calling for fresh air in Czech politics after 16 years of the same old people and gives numerous reasons why voters should look for candidates who offer "hope for change." The Greens are apparently his chosen agents for this, but they might be merely a tool in his broader agenda. They could make it into Parliament with Havel's help and then be totally shut out by the "chumminess" there that he so dislikes. Or worse, they could become part of the very problem they proclaim to be trying to fix, as ex-Green leader Jakub Patočka warned. But if the numbers are right, the Greens could end Václav Klaus's political career in two years. And that, in a concise few words, if you please, seems to be what Havel is largely about. [Czech Republic president Martin Bursík president SZ]