Debater in chief

Sometimes, after planing a Final Word, we're chagrined to read in the morning paper that some clever Czech journalist has beat us to the punch. Too often it's that pesky Alexandr Mitrofanov of Právo, who wrote today that the next Czech president will face a changed world and will have to guide the Czechs in deciding which direction to take in the geopolitical repositioning. Among the options, he notes, will be chest-pounding at home, siding with the EU hardcore or cozying up to Russia. Mitrofanov didn't address the possibility that the decision will have to be made before the current president takes his leave. It's not even entirely clear which direction Václav Klaus would guide the country if the decision were his to make. What is clear is that Klaus is heads above all the current candidates, including Miloš Zeman, in addressing the real issues facing Europe and the world. You might not always (or ever) agree with Klaus's conclusions, but you just may miss the quality of the discourse emanating from the Castle once he is gone.