Final Word from Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Václav Klaus can't remove Stanislav Gross as premier, but he could easily drive Gross into resigning by using his position of authority and respect to emasculate him. This gives Klaus a tremendous lever against Gross in these days of political crisis. And so it's not surprising that Gross is letting Klaus represent the CR at today's EU summit with George W. Bush. Právo said that Klaus wanted very much to be there. Front-page pictures tomorrow of Klaus shaking hands with Bush would be a nice ego-booster. Klaus of course isn't the only Bush-skeptic jostling for face time. But Klaus is one of those whom, frankly, Bush needs the least. Klaus's views on Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc., are predictable and unlikely to change. It makes more sense for Bush to spend time with politicians, such as Gross, who might find common ground on issues that divide the continents. [Czech Republic president photo opportunity European Union resignation]