Why this doesn't f*****g surprises me?

[PT-The Italian Commie]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6877142.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6877125.ece
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/troopdeaths.pdf

So the Italian Government, through the Italian Intelligence Services, actually paid the Talibans in Afghanistan to avoid our troops being attacked!

Not that it worked -THAT- well, though...

And, guess what? This story makes a miracle: makes me feel ashamed to be an Italian. Not that I wouldn't expect our politicians to do something similar, especially the right-wing of Silvio Berlusconi and his minions (who governed Italy 1994-1995, 2001-2006, and then again 2008 to now, and in his 01/06 term named the chiefs of the Intelligence Services that remained in office even during the 2-years 06/08 left-wing government); after all, he is, and has been in the past 20 years, under trial for bribes, accounting frauds, perjury and corruption-related charges for, how much times? About, 16? Most, if not all, covered by the Statute of Limitations (he has some pretty good lawyers, you bet he can afford them!), or charges dropped 'cause he changed the laws after he stepped into power (oh, yeah, not to mention that he ACTUALLY DID launched himself into politics for this specific reason, to save himself from Justice, and did it using the massive "War machine" of his own three televisions and countless newspapers and magazines).

I guess I couldn't expect more; not in a Country where image is everything for politicians and about 70% of the public opinion is AGAINST the military intervention in Afghanistan (and Iraq, before the whitdrawal), two conflicts that are considered a totally American business.
If you know that the people doesn't wants our soldiers to die in the sandbox, just don't send them there. But I guess they'll never get it, right? Like Mussolini needed "a few thousand deads to sit at the peace table" with the "great leaders" of the world, so probably did Berlusconi, whom actually, in an interview to the British magazine The Spectator given in 09/12/2003 about the Italian intervention in Iraq, stated that "Mussolini never actually killed anybody, he just sent his opponents ''on vacation'' in exile". This says it all about Berlusconi's idea of democracy: the apple doesn't falls that far from the tree, doesn't it?



So, rather than disappointing his "friend" Bush, Berlusconi put his money (OUR money) on the wrong horse, to use a quitely polite understatement; and then he resorted to the only means he is fond with, bribery and corruption, to avoid massive casualties that would have had the Italian people revolt and sack him in a matter of weeks.
Yes, bribes and treason is the only language Berlusconi and his minions understand.

Berlusconi

[D Yankee (The Zionist)]

Wow......

[PT-The Italian Commie]

Originally Posted by D Yankee (The Zionist)

Wow......

Yeah. That makes me puke.

[D Yankee (The Zionist)]

It's ok, I could see my current administration doing the same thing.

[JCoyote]

Yea, and I think the guy's problem is that bribes have worked so often for him that he can't imagine why they wouldn't work. Any strong philosophical/political/religious fanaticism can destroy the possibility, as well as any dealing with any particularly criminal mind willing to steal when you aren't part of anything they consider a peer group that's shared.

But here's the worse part, because the people being bribed were almost certainly using the bribes to continue fighting. So even if they honored the bribe, they would be ignoring the Italian troops and gaining extra resources that were almost certainly used in attacking Italy's allies...

With friends like Berlusconi and company, who needs enemies?

[PT-The Italian Commie]

Originally Posted by JCoyote

With friends like Berlusconi and company, who needs enemies?

You said it!

Here is a picture of a T-Shirt I am wearing right now, for Christ's sake...

[D Yankee (The Zionist)]

did anyone vote for that guy?

[PT-The Italian Commie]

Originally Posted by D Yankee (The Zionist)

did anyone vote for that guy?

Oh, yeah, unfortunately MANY voted for that guy! And, do you know what? Lots of people actually LOVE him! They find him LIKEABLE for his shameless clownish behaviour at the international meetings! And they think he is -REALLY- going to solve the problems of Italy (as if he wasn't actually one of them)!