Final Word from Monday, October 24, 2016

"Politics is like sausage being made," said Hillary Clinton in a speech disclosed by WikiLeaks. "It is unsavory, and it always has been that way, but we usually end up where we need to be. But if everybody's watching, you know, all of the backroom discussions and the deals, you know, then people get a little nervous, to say the least. So, you need both a public and a private position." Czech politics is the same way. Backroom discussions and deals are the norm. For Miloš Zeman, where we "need to be" is in support of China. Commitments have been made, money promised. This goes for Bohuslav Sobotka too. Daniel Herman has single-handedly put this at risk. He played the backroom game a month ago when he tried to block Petr Drulák as ambassador to France by labeling him behind closed doors as anti-Semitic. Zeman backed Drulák anyway. Herman was playing the game again when he nominated his own uncle for a medal of honor. Herman is winning this time, but at the cost of revealing how the sausage is made. When you have Herman, who needs WikiLeaks? [Czech Republic Jiří Brady anti-Semite]