Posted on 03/06/2005 5:27:49 PM PST by saquin
Politicians of all parties denounced prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's dealings with America yesterday after an Italian hostage negotiator was killed and a journalist wounded by US forces in Iraq.
An American patrol opened fire on the car carrying Giuliana Sgrena to the airport near Baghdad, turning what should have been the joyous end of her month-long kidnapping into a tragedy.
Mrs Sgrena, 56, was wounded in the shoulder but survived. Nicola Calipari, 51, the Italian agent who had helped secure her release, died in a hail of bullets, as he threw himself over her to protect her.
At least 10,000 people filed past Mr Calipari's body as it lay in state in Rome yesterday and politicians called on Mr Berlusconi to set aside his pro-American stance and take a hard line with his ally, President George W Bush.
Romano Prodi, the opposition leader, said he hoped the government would know "how to get to the bottom of the truth". He added: "All of us, 57 million Italians, have a right to know what happened."
Oliviero Diliberto, the head of the Communist party, which is in the main Left-wing bloc led by Mr Prodi, said: "I don't believe a word of the American version. The Americans deliberately fired on Italians. This is huge. All of the centre-Left must vote in parliament for the withdrawal of our troops."
From within Mr Berlusconi's centre-Right coalition, Gianni Alemanno, the agriculture minister, spoke out, saying: "Italy must defend its honour.
"We may be trusted allies, but we cannot give the impression of being subordinate."
Bobo Craxi, an ally, and the son of the late premier Bettino Craxi, attacked Mr Berlusconi's "subordinacy" to the US.
He demanded that he stand up to Mr Bush, "even to the point of risking a break in relations", as his father had done to President Reagan in 1985, when he refused to hand over Palestinian terrorists to America.
Other loyalists voiced support for Mr Berlusconi. "The military mission must carry on because it consolidates democracy in Iraq," said Maurizio Gasparri, the communications minister.
Meanwhile the Left-wing Il Manifesto daily, for which Mrs Sgrena works and which is strongly opposed to the occupation of Iraq, quickly sold out of all its editions yesterday.
On its front page, an article dictated from her hospital bed in Rome claimed the Americans may have targeted her because of US opposition to Italy's policy of dealing with kidnappers.
Italian government sources said a large ransom was almost certainly paid.
"Italy must defend its honour."
"We may be trusted allies, but we cannot give the impression of being subordinate."
Bobo Craxi, an ally, and the son of the late premier Bettino Craxi, attacked Mr Berlusconi's "subordinacy" to the US. He demanded that he stand up to Mr Bush, "even to the point of risking a break in relations", as his father had done to President Reagan in 1985, when he refused to hand over Palestinian terrorists to America.
What the hell? What about simply finding out what happened? Why does it seem like the facts are merely a subtext and the real interest of Italians is "defending their honor" and not appearing "subordinate"?
All of old Europe has an inferiority complex.
NOT speeding up to a checkpoint,
NOT putting other's lives in jeapordy because of something you did, and
apologizing to the U.S. because you put THEM in a rotten position.
This reminds me of when people run from police and act like they have a gun, and the police aren't supposed to react...
SHEESH!
Earth to Journalists....this is a war zone.
We need to start writing to these papers and start asking them some questions that they have apparently overlooked.
If our troops were trying to kill her, why is she still alive? Who rescued her from the American troops who were supposedly trying to kill her?
Brilliant. Heck, why not invite Bin Laden to stay as a guest of the state?
The truth is that Berlusconi has a number of enemies including this journalist that don't give a damn, do not even recognize, the threat of the terrorists to their way of life. He's in a difficult position. The woman is a clear liar and the facts will prove it, but will that satisfy the people that wish to advance their own parties at expense of Italy & Berlusconi? Will it satisfy people content to believe propaganda about America? People that see the evidence of the success of the coalition yet still speak against the war? It surely won't content this communist and her friends in the Italian MSM.
If Berlusconi has to fire a few rhetorical shots, I think we'd let him. But I think Berlusconi's best shot at survival is standing firm. Showing proper grief for the agent. Re-Affirming the good brought by this war. And letting the truth bury this woman. If he goes soft this crowd will bury him. If he can stand strong for the short term he'll stand his best shot at overcoming the forces against him.
This whole thing reminds me of the 2 Italian women hostages (the two Simonas) who were released and then trashed the U.S. and called for Italy to recall their troops.
Like those women, I have yet to see Sgrena bash her CAPTORS, reserving all bashing for the U.S.
Of course, this one is more involved, but it reeks in ways that are similar.
The Communist/Islamist axis got rid of Aznar in Spain, the Communist/Islamist axis is now taking aim at Berlusconi.
And war is a bitch.
Most "war" journalists don't know that until it's too late.
That's why soldiers fight wars.
Sorry about the loss of life, but......
LVM
What the hell? What about simply finding out what happened? Why does it seem like the facts are merely a subtext and the real interest of Italians is "defending their honor" and not appearing "subordinate"?
"He demanded that he stand up to Mr Bush, "even to the point of risking a break in relations", as his father had done to President Reagan in 1985, when he refused to hand over Palestinian terrorists to America."
Yeah, now there's a great moment in "profiles in courage" of the Euro-twit left..... in 1985, the US (thanks to Oliver North and some pilot friends in F-14s) had intercepted the plane carrying the Achille Lauro hijackers and forced it to land in Italy. The brave Italian government of the time decided it would rather secretly spirit the terrorists out of the country than hand them over to the US to face justice for the hijacking and for the savage murder of a disabled American passenger in a wheelchair (Leon Klinghoffer, I believe).
No serious, intelligent, decent person could cite the behavior of the cowardly Italian government in that episode as behavior to be emulated, but the Euro-twit leftists are neither serious nor decent nor intelligent. They are clowns, masquerading as serious political people....
Interestingly I've been thinking along the same lines, only not representative of any one American delegate, but a linked "blogosphere".
Whatever alternative news sources exist in these countries I doubt they have the importance as they currently do in the U.S. It would be to our benefit to help strengthen their voice. Discover those fighting against their own MSM press, have translations provided, than take the fight directly to these journalists printing propaganda for the population to unquestioningly consume.
I would steer clear of interfering in domestic disputes, but certainly when they condescend to mention America and our actions we'd have an opening.
My thinking is that it is time to take this Global. Wage war against the foreign press that at least can bear 50% of the blame for the anti-Americanism across the globe.
Common sense would also dictate that you coordinate details of the release with the U.S. military commander and establish a route and timeline for travel. I guess since she is a "journalist" that the rules do not apply.
My biggest worry in all of this is that the soldier who may have honestly believed his life was in danger and shot the car is going to get hung out to dry and have his life ruined as a diplomatic gesture.
Did you know our military docs removed shrapnel from her shoulder before she left for Italy? You are so right. She makes no sense.
I doubt that will be allowed to happen, but that's why we're rallying around those troops and ripping her ever changing story to shreds. We aren't going to allow it to happen for the benefit of a lying communist that praises her "captors" but calls our troops assassins.
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