Final Word from Monday, February 23, 2015
The only thing the public knows about U.S. Amb. Andrew Schapiro's visit last month to Andrej Babiš's Stork's Nest farm is that the event happened. And the public only knows it happened because Babiš's own newspaper wrote that it did. Whether it was an intentional leak by Babiš to show his importance or routine reporting by LN, no one knows, but the information fit well with ANO's announced adoption of Havelism as its guiding principle in foreign policy. The torchbearer was supposed to be MEP Pavel Telička, a former deputy foreign minister who boasts the added qualification of having been a lobbyist for the self-appointed defender of the Havel legacy, Zdeněk Bakala. Yet two weeks after Miloš Zeman publicly criticized Telička, Babiš has abruptly changed directions by instead promoting non-Havelian MP Jarmila Jermanová as ANO's foreign-policy expert. So much for bonding on the part of the two Andys. [Czech Republic Čapí hnízdo Lidové noviny]
Glossary of difficult words
Correction: We have corrected the name of Jaroslava Jermanová.
torchbearer - a person who leads or inspires others in working toward a valued goal; a person who carries a torch;
to bond - to establish a relationship with someone based on shared feelings, interests or experiences.