In hell with Milos Zeman
From the moment Miloš Zeman opened his mouth yesterday at a meeting of the Council on Czech Competitiveness, he had the businesspeople in attendance eating out of his hand. His charm and wit filled the room, discouraging anyone with questions about his place in Czech politics - or what he had been drinking the night before - from challenging him. Whether the polls that kept him out of a TV debate the night before were rigged is unknown, but it's clear why his opponents might want to keep him away from a live audience. After seeing him in person, it's hard to believe his political days are over. Whether they should be is of course another matter. But you've got to love a guy who can tell a joke about dying and going to hell with Václav Klaus. Next to Klaus appears an old hag, and Satan tells him that he has sinned and must spend eternity with her. Next to Zeman appears Claudia Schiffer, and Satan tells her she has sinned.... Can you imagine Klaus or Jiří Paroubek telling a self-deprecating joke like that?
Glossary of difficult words
to eat out of someone's hand - to be manipulated or dominated by another, like an animal eating out of someone's hand;rigged - managed or conducted fraudulently so as to produce a desired result;
hag - a witch, esp. in the form of an ugly old woman;
self-deprecating - modest about or critical of oneself, esp. in a humorous way.