Final Word from Tuesday, August 2, 2011

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Obama gave the Republicans some pie-in-the-sky budget cutsover a 10-year period that probably won't ever materialize, andin exchange he received a very real increase in the U.S.'s debtceiling. Once Republican voters figure out what has happened,more of them will likely defect to the Tea Party. On the Czechpolitical scene, opinion polls show that ODS is stuck in a distantsecond place behind ČSSD and is now statistically tiedwith the Communists. When ODS's polling numbers are combinedwith TOP 09's, the two parties still outpace ČSSD, butODS's status as the senior partner in its relationship with TOPis in danger. ODS's scandals are an obvious reason for this,but more important now is the way ODS has allowed FinanceMinister Miroslav Kalousek to take over the government agenda.Perhaps ODS's only hope is to begin to openly challengeKalousek on tax and budget issues and to become the sort-ofTea Party alternative to TOP 09. It would require ODS to moveinto VV's ideological territory, but all's fair in love and politics.