and he owes it all to him

quick reflections. i do love italy

1. 15 years ago the electoral law was changed to try and transform italy into a two-party system. that didn't work. in 2005, the law gets changed back to what it was but the italians, by finally voting with a modicum of intelligence, wipe out all the small parties that screwed with this country for 60 years.

2. For the first time since 1946, the communist party does not hold a seat in parliament. they deserve it. for turning the hard rock cafe, bastion of U.S. capitalism, into their press center. This is a watershed moment. The demise of the biggest and longest-lasting Communist party in the Western Europe.. and so ignominiously, too. Now that is a story.

3. While the League is the news of the day, I for one feel it would be a mistake to give them too much weight. Certainly they have Berlusconi by the balls and they can impose their will and shape government policy, which doesn't bode well. But in the grand scheme of things a vote for them (just as a vote for Di Pietro on the Left) is a vote of protest. Italians wanted to show their disatisfaction and still vote for one of the two main parties. The message is clear: we're mad as hell and we won't take it any more. (see below)