http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=5137
by Kevin DeAnna
One of the hopeful examples in this dark time is Italy, which has a legitimately right wing government and is actually doing productive things to save the country. The screams of outrage from the media are signs of contradiction that they are truly on the side of the angels.
Of course, the colorful coalition leader Silvio http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=5640 occasionally gives us something beyond just a good political example. The latest manufactured crisis is that he called Barack Obama “young, handsome, and suntanned.” Clearly, the New York Times must alert us to this horrific act. We can have anchors sobbing on the air and openly telling us their job is to make Obama successful, but someone making a lame joke about the President-Elect’s complexion, even a complimentary and obviously positive joke, must not be allowed.Berlusconi may be prone to the occasional controversial (or stupid) statement, but he always handles his (self-created) gaffes beautifully. Rather than doing the PC cringe, he counterattacks. When a self-righteous reporter tries to enforce left wing orthodoxy, Silvio thunders, “Why (should I)? You should apologize to Italy!” Silvio, whatever his faults, is a Man of the Right who has learned that cringing gets you about as much respect from the Left as John McCain got of the Hispanic vote.
Certainly almost any Republican in this situation would bow and scape, promise a few million dollars of someone else’s money for some diversity program, and be called a Nazi and a Klansman for their trouble.
Berlusconi’s reaction, in contrast, leads to criticism on the New York Times website, which is apparently worthy of a full news story. However, Rachel Donadio writes the following priceless sentence—“Yet Mr. Berlusconi’s latest gaffe seemed to tap into a deep well of anger at him, which is at least as strong as his high approval ratings.”
http://www.takimag.com/sniperstower/article/silvio_does_it_again/