Final Word from Friday, February 1, 2008
Many Czechs can't stand Václav Klaus for the same reason that many Americans can't stand Hillary Clinton. Better than anyone else (except for the other Clinton), these two politicians know how to use (and abuse) the idiosyncrasies of their countries' democratic systems. It's not their fault that democracy works the way it does. They didn't invent it; they merely reinvented it. To stymie Klaus, his opponents will need to learn to be proactive, instead of always reacting in awe to what Klaus has carefully been planning for them long in advance. Klaus gave his opponents an unusual opening in the recent debate, when he said he'd accept a tightening of the veto-override rules. Instead of jumping on this, though, his opponents either let it pass or even declined the offer. To paraphrase a Klaus namesake, Clausewitz, if they aren't willing to use all the means at their disposal, they're never going to win.[Czech Republic Bill Carl von presidential elections Jan Švejnar On War Parliament House Senate]
Glossary of difficult words
Clausewitz - influential military theorist who said war cannot be waged in a limited way and must be "absolute";
not to be able to stand someone - not to be able to tolerate the person; to dislike intensely;
idiosyncrasy - a distinctive or peculiar feature of something;
to reinvent something - to change something so much that it appears to be entirely new;
to stymie - to thwart, to prevent or hinder the progress of;
awe - a mixed emotion of reverence, respect and dread;
veto-override rules - an increase in the number of votes needed by the House to override the Senate could benefit the opposition;
declined the offer - Sen. Alena Gajdůšková of ČSSD said she does not much believe in changing the Constitution;
namesake - a person or thing with the same name.