Too important to be Czech president

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.