"I'm here as the Prime Minister of a country which is a loyal and faithful ally of the United States of America. The United States is a country to which my people bears a deep gratitude because it owes to the generosity of this great democracy its freedom and its prosperity. We'll never forget the fact that about a half a century ago, through the sacrifice of so many young Americans, Italy and Europe were saved from totalitarianism. I would like to add one more thing. I consider the flag of the United States is not only a flag of a country, but is a universal message of freedom and democracy." Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi during a visit to Washington, DC in 2002.
I wanted to post this as the quote of the day as we enter the weekend when the free men of the world began their liberation of Europe. It is important to be reminded that not all Europeans have forgotten the sacrifices made by Americans on their continent.
Silvio Berlusconi said something even more forceful than this today in response to his own citizens staging anti-Bush protests in Rome. Berlusconi urged his people to visit a nearby cemetery where 8,000 Americans are buried before they march through the streets of Rome. Unfortunately, I was unable to find Berlusconi's exact words on the Net. Surprise, surprise that the Premier's comments on the Italian protests never made it into the myriad press reports on the protests in Rome.
