Final Word from Monday, May 14, 2012
When Madeleine Albright was asked in 2002 about running for
Czech president, she said it would be inappropriate, because she
had held such a high post in the U.S. government. Her response
was reasonable and non-offensive. In no way did she diminish
the office of the Czech president. Compare this to Tomáš Halík
and Jan Švejnar. Halík told MFD that one reason he's not
interested in running is that his position in public life has
significantly changed in recent years and that he has attained a
certain level of international respect. His voice, he said, is heard
far beyond the Czech borders. Švejnar told Právo that one of the
factors in his decision whether to run is his position as head of
the Center for Global Economic Governance at Columbia
University, which he said will have influence at the White House,
World Bank and IMF. For people without this alternative, he said,
the vision of being president is more unambiguously important.
With potential candidates like this, it's no wonder some people
are hoping Albright will change her mind.[Czech Republic Catholic priest elections MF Dnes]
Glossary of difficult words
non-offensive - not causing hurt or anger;
to diminish - to make someone or something seem less important, impressive or valuable;
unambiguous - not open to more than one interpretation.