Final Word from Thursday, March 26, 2009
It's payback time. One by one, Mirek Topolánek and his loyalists are lining up to blame Václav Klaus and Pavel Bém for actively working to bring down the government. In a situation where 70% of Czechs (according to Median-MFD) didn't want the government to fall, blaming Klaus and the increasingly unpopular Bém could be an especially effective strategy. All Topolánek needs is a catchy label - maybe the "Klaus blitzkieg" - for drawing a parallel with the "Sarajevo assassination" that brought down Klaus a decade ago. Jirka Paroubek might not realize it yet, but he risks becoming collateral damage for allowing Klaus to do this to the country at the moment of its greatest international stardom. Paroubek might be able to save his skin by agreeing with Topolánek on the formation of a new, temporary ODS-KDU-Green government. Of course, Topolánek might have to get rid of Ivan Langer, Martin Bursík and Renata Vesecká, but it would be a small price to pay for repairing some of the damage caused by Klaus & Co.[Czech Republic European Union Jiří Barack Obama KDU-ČSL chief prosecutor interior minister]
Glossary of difficult words
payback - an act of revenge or retaliation;
loyalist - a person who remains loyal to the established ruler or government, esp. in the face of a revolt;
catchy - instantly appealing and memorable;
blitzkrieg - an intense military campaign intended to bring about a swift victory;
collateral damage - inadvertent casualties among civilians and destruction in civilian areas in the course of military operations;
stardom - the state or status of being famous (due to the EU presidency and Obama's visit, in this case);
to save one’s skin - to rescue oneself from danger or difficulty.