Havel's 'sick' followers

The president's office gave no specific reason for why Václav Klaus sent his regrets for Friday's christening ceremony at Václav Havel Airport, but Klaus himself made his reason clear in an interview with LN. He didn't mention the airport, but he said that his rivalry with Havel is at the base of all the attacks against him. He spoke of his critics as being ill, mentally ill, venomous, frustrated, pitiful, pathetic or infantile. He said he had thought that Havel's death would cause things to settle down in this respect but that instead things have perhaps intensified. When Havel died last year, Klaus was praised for his statesmanlike address at the funeral. But things were different then. It was a state funeral, and he was in charge. In contrast, the renaming of the airport was spearheaded by people who fall into the "sick" category. His attendance would have required him to shut his eyes to this. Like a true statesman.