Out of the frying pan into the fire...

I managed to give up on politics for a month only. Time to revert to the touchy topic, this time approached from a different angle...

Jokes about fellow head of state's wife's infidelity...
Sitting down joyfully when guests are standing...
Another president standing in the rain without an umbrella over his head...
Setting out to eating when the host is speaking...
Calling several meetings to arrange the date of parliamentary election and not rulling out 30 October right away...
Inviting a former president Jaruzelski to a delegation travelling to Rome for JPII beatification ceremony and then declaring to think it over?
Saying in an interview to a newspaper he does not know if he would entrust Jarosław Kaczyński the mission of creating a government if the party Kaczyński runs wins the elections.

The list of major missteps of Polish president made this year only numbers seven slip-ups. Probably slated, bad, ex-communist president Kwaśniewski did not make so many blunders during his ten years in office.

First four gaffes are quite obvious, I will just take a liberty of commenting on the last three ones.

Date of election is not the biggest problem our attention should focus on. It should not be held just before All Saints' Day because it is the period when Poles get around the country and hence the turnout would be lower. And two-day election, as put forward by Mr Komorowski is a big waste of money. Politicians of PiS reject the idea by saying it makes room for irregularities (typical for the mistrust-driven party), I say if holding one-day election can save 50 million zlotys, this money must be saved. With our ailing public finances we cannot afford this. Over!

General Jaruzelski remains a big problem in Polish politics. It is quite clear that in his state of health he would not go there, even regardless of his atheism. But invitation is about protocol. Mr Jaruzelski, no matter what you think of him, repeatedly met with the Pope and after His death was a witness during the beatification procedures. Has nobody thought of it? Manners of Mr Komorowski remind us of what late president Kaczynski did in March 2006, when his officials mistakenly awarded Mr Jaruzelski a medal for his WWII gallantry. Mr Jaruzelski later sent it back to Mr Kaczyński and after all he, not the president saved face. Handling Mr Jaruzelski will remain a problem for Polish politicians for a while...

The statement in Mr Komorowski interview for Newsweek is much simpler. He, as a president, is duty bound to assign the leader of victorious party the task of forming the government. Those are voters, who go to the polls to decide who should be the prime minister, not the president. May he remember about it. If Kaczynski's party wins the election, he has no choice, just as Lech Kaczynski in 2007 properly, but to do it without a murmur!

And this is the man I voted for... Some eight months ago I exercised my right to vote, now I want to exercise my right to criticise! I did back him, because I realised there was no other choice. I knew he would be a mediocre president, but his mediocrity has gone far beyond my expectations. I now regret not voting for Mr Olechowski in the first round, but not regret voting for Mr Komorowski in the run-off. If time could be turned back, I would do the same, despite everything. I have observed what Mr Kaczynski and Mr Napieralski have been doing since the election and I know they do not make a reasonable alternative. Mr Komorowski is, pardon the expression, a 'lout', but does not turn the country upside down. Mr Napieralski, with his background and education not only does not have any makings for a head of state, but also for any minister. Can you tell me which ministry could he take charge of?

Who said before the presidential election we should vote for Komorowski if we did not want to be ashamed of our president when he goes abroad? I am ashamed of him not only when he travels abroad, but also when he plays host to foreign guests in Poland. Jarosław Kaczyński would not make all those blunders, but on the other hand many of those meeting Mr Komorowski attended would not have taken place. Foreign policy, as pursued by PiS, consisted in not pursiuing it, or pursuing it selectively.

All in all I in my voting decisions I was guided by model of presidency and views, not by manners. Mr Komorowski's views fairly squared with mine, his unbiased presidency is a big step towards in comparison to his what his precedessor did. Unlike late president, Mr Komorowski could appoint a governor of central bank who was not his henchman, but was competent to take up that position. He has two economic advisers, one (Jerzy Pruski) has liberal views, other (Jerzy Osiatyński) has rather statist views and the balance is struck.

I was not that really ashamed of Lech Kaczynski, I rather disagreed with what he did as a president. I felt sorry for him. I knew he was not cut out for such office, he felt uncomfortable and stressed out between movers and shakers, who have never been his breed. He was a bit gauche, but his ineptitude rather evoked my sympathy. He was in a way one of us, he embodied our shortcomings, yet in most situations he was self-concous. Mr Komorowski, in turn, is overly self-confident and hence uncouth. A proper balance of self-conciousness and self-confidence is essential to behave well in all situations when impeccable manners are required. It seems to me Mr Kwaśniewski has had that knack, Mr Kaczyński and Mr Komorowski, although they are both proud to boast their 'noble' descent, simply lack good manners which should have been instilled in them at homes.

After all Mr Komorowski has messed with me much more within seven months than PO-led government managed to do within over three years. I have voted for both and I will be watching their doings.