Glenn says the recent revelation that Italian intelligence did not notify the Americans that they ransomed Il Manifesto journalist Giuliana Sgrena, inadvertently causing death and injury, is an example of Italian “ineptitude“. Glenn, as usual, is being a gentleman. The reported ransom number was a healthy six million dollars. That buys a considerable arsenal of weapons with which to blow up Iraqis and American soldiers. A lot of potential blood flows from this deal — innocent blood. And the Italians knew it. No wonder they were keeping mum about it. I’d call it cowardice, not ineptitude.
Now don’t get me wrong, much as I think Sgrena a complete fuddy-duddy reactionary (how else to describe the outdated blather printed by Il Manifesto?), I’d probably have been begging for my life, as she did, too. But one thing is sure… Giuliana Sgrena is no La Pasionaria. She’s a petty little weasel of a journalist who cried like a frightened infant when in the arms of terrorist thugs (we all saw it, Giuliana!) and now pretends she’s someone brave and important. How pathetic!
MEANWHILE: Berlusconi covers his you-know-what at a state funeral. (Don’t you wonder what he’s really thinking?)
But on the bright and far more important side, democracy demonstrations continue in Beirut… to the tune of 150,000+ people! That’s a huge number, considering the population of Lebanon.
UPDATE: Corriere della Sera – arguably Italy’s best known newspaper – talks sense.
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