Bem's double deal
There's a rumor that Pavel Bém took out a big bag of cash and told a spin doctor to make his media problem go away. It ain't working. This week was particularly bad for the holder of the throne at Prague city hall. Not only was there sour news about Prague's Olympic hopes, but Respekt also let rip with an article about a police investigation involving Bém, Roman Janoušek and Aleš Řebíček. Why is the untouchable Bém now so touchable? It can no doubt be partly explained by the increasing power of PM Mirek Topolánek and Interior Minister Ivan Langer, who need to teach Bém a lesson. There are also whispers about a falling-out with Václav Klaus. Bém, it seems, was double-dealing in the presidential elections and was working on a reserve plan with ČSSD to become PM if Jan Švejnar managed to win. Klaus is known for being loyal to his friends ... and for not forgiving those who betray him.
Glossary of difficult words
spin doctor - a political spokesman whose job it is to give a favorable interpretation of events to the media;ain't - (not standard English) a grammatically incorrect or dialectical way of saying "is not";
to let rip - (informal) to do something without constraint;
untouchable - not able to be touched;
falling-out - a quarrel or disagreement;
double-dealing - acting with duplicity or disloyalty behind someone's back.