A bungled assassination
Pavel Vondrouš, who shot Václav Klaus seven times last Sept. with an air pistol, could face charges of disorderly conduct and might go to prison for up to two years. This is more bad news for Klaus, because he had publicly accused Vondrouš of trying to assassinate him. Such an attempt on a public figure's life should normally carry a much harsher penalty because of the bodily harm that was caused ... if we believe the 3-4 bloodstains on Klaus's shirt after the attack. But can we believe the blood? Or will it become a symbol over time of the length Klaus is willing to go to for political gain? Compared to the amnesty, a little fake blood might seem to be a trifle, but the "assassination attempt" has the benefit that everyone can reenact it (as Blesk did last year). If Klaus is willing to lie about something as easily verifiable as pellet wounds, what does it say about his believability on something like the amnesty?
Glossary of difficult words
to bungle something - to carry something out clumsily or incompetently, leading to failure or an unsatisfactory outcome;disorderly conduct - unruly behavior constituting a minor offense;
length - (in this context) extent;
trifle - an unimportant or trivial thing;
to reenact something - to act out (a past event);
verifiable - able to be checked for its truthfulness or accuracy;
pellet - a small, rounded, compressed mass of a substance.