The New Faces of Battle

ONE of the lighter and more instructive moments in the Gothenburg summit came over the dinner at which George W. Bush reportedly charmed his European counterparts into submission. It concerned, however, not Bush but a much more controversial figure in European circles—namely, the new center-right Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

“I am a happy man,” Berlusconi said innocently, “because I have finally liberated Italy from Communism. They had barely 30 percent of the votes, but they really used to run the government.”

About the Author

John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a senior fellow at National Review Institute and a contributing editor of National Review.

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ONE of the lighter and more instructive moments in the Gothenburg summit came over the dinner at which George W. Bush reportedly charmed his European counterparts into submission. It concerned, however, not Bush but a much more controversial figure in European circles—namely, the new center-right Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

“I am a happy man,” Berlusconi said innocently, “because I have finally liberated Italy from Communism. They had barely 30 percent of the votes, but they really used to run the government.”