[hleewilder]

I never said anything like that. I said that POLITICALLY The Italian Prime Minister is under pressure to get a pound of flesh for this incident more for something that happened in 1999.

This present situation is totally different. These guys today IN 2005 were totally right. Those guys in 1999 were wrong.

The point is, POLITICALLY it doesn't matter from an Italian perspective. In their view, two US Air Force Officers got away with MURDER in 1999, and the US military justice system let them off.

Is that true? I'll leave that to the experts, the point is, P0LITICALLY that's what the ITALIANS are on about.

Again, for the record I THINK OUR GUYS WERE PERFECTLY JUSTIFIED IN WHAT THEY WERE DOING AT THE CHECKPOINT. But don't hold your breath that the Italian public is going to buy any kind of investigation by the US unless SOMEBODY'S A$$ IS NAILED TO THE WALL, because again, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FAITH IN OUR PROSECUTING ANY OF OUR OWN PEOPLE.

Okay?

[Kirkwood]

I live several weeks a year in Italy while on business and I think you are way too worked up about what the Italians think. This is very typical of the Italians to get all bent out of shape about some political issue and then nothing comes of it. They are good at protesting and having planned strikes and wringing their hands. It is a socialist country filled with socialist protester. When they aren't protesting against the US, they are protesting against their own government or complaining about Germans or their neighbor across the street. This might backfire on them if they push it too far. Lots of suspicious activity surrounding this so-called hostage that might not sit so well with us.