Meanwhile, back in Central Europe...

Washington's other newspaper: Protest in Hungary Draws 15,000

BUDAPEST - Thousands of Hungarians surrounded the parliament building here for the third straight night to demand the ouster of the country's prime minister after he admitted to lying "morning, noon and night" to win reelection in April.

That sure sounds like a politician in a democracy. Don't worry, Hungary. You'll get used to it.

In what he thought was a private meeting, Ferenc Gyurcsany said in May that he had won reelection only by duping voters about how badly his party had run the country. "We have screwed up," he said. "Not a little, but a lot. No country in Europe has screwed up as much as we have. . . . It was perfectly clear that what we were saying was not true."

On Sunday, someone leaked to Radio Hungary and other media a tape recording of the socialist prime minister's confession. The immediate result: round-the-clock protests demanding Gyurcsany's removal. On Monday night, rioters temporarily took over the state television station. Over the next day or so, 150 police officers were injured.

Heck, at least he admits he's a socialist. The Hungarians are years ahead of us on that score.