Václav Klaus on Barack Obama, America

Václav Klaus, former Premier of the Czech Republic

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president." – Václav Klaus, the former Premier of the Czech Republic [Source: Snopes.com] 2012

Union Européenne : Le Traité de Lisbonne validé, le président tchèque se retrouve isolé
Vaclav Klaus. Crédits photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: La Cour constitutionnelle tchèque a jugé mardi le Traité de Lisbonne conforme à la Loi fondamentale du pays, condition nécessaire à la ratification complète du traité et au choix du futur président de l’Europe. Ne reste plus maintenant qu’une ultime étape: la signature du texte par le très eurosceptique chef de l’Etat tchèque, Vaclav Klaus, qui pourrait apposer son paraphe dès aujourd’hui comme il a promis de le faire. Contraint et forcé.

Matinée de souffrance pour Vaclav Klaus. Résolument opposé au Traité de Lisbonne, qu’il continue de considérer comme une menace contre la souveraineté des Etats-membres de l’Union européenne, le très eurosceptique président tchèque va devoir le signer, contraint et forcé après sa validation mardi matin par la Cour constitutionnelle. Une décision très attendue qu’il s’est d’ailleurs bien gardé de commenter. >>> Richard Werly | Mardi 03 Novembre 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Czech President Vaclav Klaus signs EU Lisbon Treaty into law: Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, has signed the EU Lisbon Treaty into law after a court cleared the final legal obstacle standing in its way. >>> Bruno Waterfield, Brussels Correspondent | Tuesday, November 30, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Tories on the spot as Czech leader signs Lisbon Treaty >>> Philippe Naughton and Philip Webster, Political Editor | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Vaclav Klaus Says It Is 'Too Late' to Stop Lisbon Treaty
THE TELEGRAPH: The Lisbon Treaty has taken another step towards becoming law across Europe after the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, effectively abandoned his attempts to stall it.

Mr Klaus, the sole remaining leader in the European Union not to have signed the document, conceded that despite his personal opposition to the treaty, it was now too late to stop it.

He also dismisssed speculation that he would try to hold off formally signing the document after the forthcoming British general election next year. Such a move would pave the way for a future Conservative government to hold a referendum on the treaty, which could derail the entire plan if it delivered a "No" vote. But Mr Klaus said: "I will not and cannot wait for the British election. They would have to hold it in the coming days or weeks."

In an interview with Czech newspaper Lidove Noviny, he added: "I do not consider the Lisbon Treaty to be a good thing for Europe, for the freedom of Europe, or for the Czech Republic.

"However, the train has already travelled so fast and so far that I guess it will not be possible to stop it or turn it around, however much we would wish to."

Mr Klaus, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, had won plaudits from fellow Eurosceptics for his staunch criticisms of the treaty, which he fears will usher in a European federal state that will curb the sovereign rights of smaller countries like the Czech Republic.

In past speeches, he has drawn comparisons between post-Lisbon Europe and the grim life of Czechs during Soviet rule, likening distant diktats from Brussels to those from Communist apparatchiks in Moscow. >>> Colin Freeman | Saturday, October 17, 2009

I Will Not Sign Lisbon Treaty, Says Czech President
Vaclav Klaus: the last man holding out. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The President of the Czech Republic has no intention of signing the Lisbon treaty, a move that might allow David Cameron time to hold a British referendum on Europe.

President Klaus, the fiercely Eurosceptic Czech leader, is the last obstacle for the agreement after its ratification in the other 26 EU states but he has told supporters that he will never sign, The Times has learnt.

Asked during a walkabout on Sunday not to put his name to the treaty, Mr Klaus replied: “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

After a crisis Cabinet meeting yesterday, Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, avoided a direct confrontation with Mr Klaus, bowing to his demand to reopen negotiations with the EU on an eleventh-hour opt-out.

However, he called on the unpredictable President to guarantee his signature if EU leaders agreed to his conditions and if the Czech Constitutional Court raised no new objections.

Mr Klaus is demanding an opt-out for the Czech Republic that would prevent German families expelled after the Second World War from lodging property claims at the European Court of Justice.

He raised the stakes on Friday, putting a dampener on EU celebrations over the Irish referendum decision to back the treaty. The President argued that the charter could whip up an avalanche of property claims from German families expelled from Czech territory after the war. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent, in Prague | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Lisbon Treaty Delayed Again as Klaus Wins Czech Tussle
Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The crisis over the final signature on the Lisbon Treaty deepened today when the Czech Government backed away from a confrontation with the country's President, Vaclav Klaus. and instead pledged to negotiate for an 11th hour amendment on his behalf.

After an emergency Cabinet meting this morning, Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, said that he would put President Klaus's call for a human rights opt-out to the next European summit on October 29.

The climbdown represented a victory for Mr Klaus, the last man holding out on signing the treaty after its ratification in the 26 other EU states, and shows clearly that the Czech Government has no stomach for a fight with the eurosceptic economist.

It also leaves open the possibility that the Czech ratification could drag on into next year, allowing time for David Cameron to win a general election in the UK and call a referendum on the document.

The decision will throw the problem back at EU leaders at a meeting they had hoped would finally celebrate the completion of the treaty. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent, in Prague | Monday, October 12, 2009