The Economist's new attack against Berlusconi.

As you probably know, Berlusconi and "the Economist" have fought a media battle for some time now. The Economists feels, that Berlusconi is unfit to rule a Nation, let alone Europe; while Berlusconi feels that he should be awarded a medal.

I know many dislike "the Economist", as it sided with the war crowd; however I found this new Berlusconi dossier very readable.
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=1939979




--July 30th 2003


Dear Mr Berlusconi,


I am writing to you to pose questions that I believe the public has a right to hear the answers to. As this can no longer occur through the Italian courts, such questions should be posed and answered in public.


On June 18th, the Italian parliament approved a bill to grant immunity from criminal trials to the holders of the five highest offices of state, including the president and prime minister. It is now a law. The law applies even if a trial started before the office-holder was elected. The new law’s most immediate effect is that the one remaining criminal trial in which you are involved —the SME case, in which you are accused of bribing judges—has been suspended until you are no longer prime minister. Even then, the trial will start again only if you were not elected to one of the other offices that benefits from the immunity. But the law is being challenged in the constitutional court.
...
--snap

Criminals with no ethics regarding conflict of interests are simply accepted as not-criminals in the USA which appears to be why the economist does not take its same pointed finger towards the bushishtas.

I guess there is only so much finger pointing they can do while still being a darling business newspaper.

But I know quite a few persons pro Bush and contra Berlusconi.
I'm still laughing about the NYPost; calling Berlusconi a successful Businessman, great Statesman and the person to bring the EU ahead. Not even implying, that he is wrecking the Italian Economy as well as Italy's constitution. Or the ongoing energy crisis in Italy.
:puke: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/385.htm :puke:



The recent "Spider" story made everybody shake their heads.
(He outlawed the import of venomous Spiders. Why? a Import/Export Business for Spiders and Scorpions had moved into his neighbourhood.)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=857&ncid=757&e=10&u=/nm/20030729/od_uk_nm/oukoe_odd_italy_berlusconi