EU Prez Slams Obama's Call for Stimulus as 'a Way to Hell'

Mirek Topolanek, the Czech prime minister whose government collapsed last night, today blasted President Obama’s economic ideas, calling further stimulus “a way to hell.” Topolanek spoke before the European Parliament just hours after Obama called on the world to share the burden of economic stimulus, the BBC reports. Topolanek said refusing to do so was the top success of last week’s EU summit.

Topolanek said the collapse of his government was “not a tragedy.” For now, he remains president of the EU, with 3 months left in the Czech Republic’s 6-month term. The presidency is usually a delicate job, and the attack on Obama ruffled feathers. “You have not understood what the task of the EU presidency is,” complained one socialist leader, saying it was “not the level on which the EU ought to be operating.” (More Mirek Topolanek stories.)