A common reaction
(Via Gweilo Diaries) Berlusconi slaps down France over Israel trip:

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi told France on Tuesday it should ''shut up'' about his Middle East policy, further straining relations with Paris just as Italy is preparing to take over the European Union presidency.

''They missed a good opportunity to shut up,'' Berlusconi told reporters in response to French criticism of his decision not to meet Palestinian leaders during a recent trip to Israel.

My, my - why the outburst? Let me guess - it was Napoleon's buttboy? Yep.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said this week that Berlusconi had ''not satisfied the European position'' by holding talks only with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during his June 9 visit to Jerusalem.

The "European position"? Is that "butt up, head in sand"? Sounds like something that, with $2, will get you a subway ride in NYC.

''I went (to Israel) as the prime minister of Italy. There's no way France can issue criticism over something that was the sole right and responsibility of the Italian prime minister,'' Berlusconi said, clearly bristling with irritation.

It's just like the Frenchies to assume authority they don't have. Either that or they love being the old schoolmarm of Europe.

Meet ya in Damascus
Captured aide says Saddam, sons fled to Syria:

WASHINGTON -- A top lieutenant to Saddam Hussein has told U.S. interrogators that the Iraqi leader and his two sons survived the U.S.-led war in Iraq and that he himself had fled to Syria with the sons after the conflict, Defense Department officials said today.

Bashar's holding a bash and didn't invite us. I'm sure it's just an oversight.

That Nellie is a real knee slapper!
Nelson Mandela is in Ireland for the Speical Olympics, but couldn't resist opening his pie hole - Mandela Slams U.S. Iraq Policy During Irish Visit:

Former South African President Nelson Mandela said Friday the United States posed a danger to the world for sidelining the United Nations to make war on Iraq.

Nellie ought to put his butt on the line by stopping off in the Congo on the way home. Not to worry, Nellie, the UN will protect ya!

Say What?
(Via FR) A Bangladeshi view of Hillary, or something - Hillary still loves Bill.

No doubt Bill Clinton's admission of his affair-de-amor with sexy dynamite and the former WH intern, Monica, dumbfounded and devastated the sweet-natured and one of the debonair, well-poised female personalities of the time, Hillary Rodham Clinton. She is now 55 but has the deceptive profile. She among the Democrats is a top fund raiser and writer. In one speech she earned a contribution of 4 million dollars to the party.

In her latest book that hit the bookstores and stands she received an 8 million dollar advance for it. For her Bill has more pluses than minuses. She still loves Bill Clinton as she ardently believes he is the most thrilling and interesting man she has ever met and that was at in Law discipline at Yale University. And she really never wanted to wring his neck; for she is cool, calculative, essential traits for her to be one of the US' best Attorneys, especially in criminal suits.

Unfortunately, her days at the White House as the First Lady were marked by the US' unprecedented economic prosperity together with a series of ethics scandals. And she tolerated the nonsensical perjury for Chelsea and other great causes while Diana could not and her spouse had the only fault-indulgence in homosexuality, even in Buckhingham Palace!

Sexy dynamite!

Aging wacko alert!
The 77 year old Prime Minister of Malyasia soiled his Depends - Mahathir attacks greedy, sexually deviant `Europeans':

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad launched a vitriolic attack on the European race yesterday, accusing them of warmongering, indiscriminate attacks on Muslims, greed and sexual deviancy.

Europeans, including "those who migrated and set up new nations in America, Australia and New Zealand," wanted "to control the world again," he said.

Predicting that he would be condemned as a "racist," the veteran Southeast Asian leader said he was "not anti-European. I have many friends and acquaintances who are Europeans."

And they all call him a bum bonnet behind his back.

Aromatic hot air alert!
New Zealand to tax cattle flatulence:

New Zealand farmers are angry after the government announced plans to tax the flatulence of their livestock.

Farmers face a levy of up to 25p a head on cattle and 3p on each sheep as part of the government's policy to combat global warming.

I wonder how much they would charge for Michael Moore?

The government will spend the tax it collects from the flatulent animals on researching ways to make them less windy.

All together now! BEANO!

Decisions, decisions!
The whiney port siders over at MoveOn.org are just bursting with plans. This time it's for an internet primary (for the Democrat party, natch). Howard Dean is favored (ignore the allegations of skulduggery), but I signed up anyhow for this heartwarming endeavor.

Hmmm, which wingnut should I choose? The Rev. Al is a sentimental favorite, but Dennis Kucinich is nicely bizarre, and Carol Moseley Braun upholds time honored Democrat traditions - at least the ones involving cash. Then there's the formerly Irish Senator John Kerry who looks French. Didja know he served in Vietnam? It's so hard to decide!

Hey, you can participate too!

Dear friend,

I'm writing to ask you to take part in MoveOn.org's
presidential primary. Too often, the real choices in
presidential nomination processes are made long before
the real primaries. Pundits, pollsters and big donors
shouldn't be the only voices that count at this early
and important stage of the process.

MoveOn's primary will give at least 1.4 million people
the opportunity to make their voices heard. You can be
one of them by registering to vote in the MoveOn Primary
here:

http://www.moveon.org/pac/reg/


Thanks.

Since a "voice" merely consists of a valid email address to pad the MoveOn.org fundraising mailing list, this ought to be real scientific.

Oh, and when you hear about the "Silicon Valley entrepeneurs" who are behind MoveOn.org, recall that their contribution to technology was a flying toaster screen saver and a computer quiz game called "You Don't Know Jack". Seems appropriate.

Comments turned off
Because SquawkBox, my commenting service, is once again casters up and killing page load times.

What would we do without Bubba?
Every day's another titillating ego massage for the bleary roué. Al Kamen in his Washington Post "In the Loop Column" reports Canadian Rumor Mills in Overtime:

Canadian papers were running items about what was called a "close personal and business relationship" between Clinton and Canadian billionaire Belinda Stronach, chief executive of auto-parts maker Magna International Inc.
...
This has created much salacious -- and surely false -- buzz up north. A CanWest News Service story strongly cautions against thinking such things. "They are good friends," a close friend of Stronach's told CanWest, "but there is not a romantic linkage. It's just not that way. . . . You shouldn't jump to conclusions that they are having a serious fling," though the friend said Stronach is attracted to Clinton.

Another friend said Stronach, 36, is "intrigued" by Clinton's "charisma and brainpower, particularly his knowledge of world events," the wire service reported. Stronach, according to that friend, said of Clinton: "'The guy is really smart and he really knows a lot of stuff.' "

In case you are wondering how someone so delusional could become a billionaire - it's dad's money.

But Hillary's not worried about yet another woman, even a really rich one. She's too busy sleazing up bogus publicity as the rest of the column describes.

Still Guilty
Ronald Radosh in the NY Post:

June 19, 2003 -- Fifty years ago on this day, I stood with a few thousand largely Jewish and left-wing New Yorkers on a street off Union Square, vainly hoping that our vigil would call off the executions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

Tonight, the remnants of those who either believe in the Rosenbergs' innocence or still proclaim them heroic martyrs who died for their commitment to justice, peace and a "progressive" America are meeting at Manhattan Center to commemorate the day and to honor the legacy and memory of the Rosenbergs.

They will hear speeches from the Rosenbergs' sons, Robert and Michael Meeropol; from Harry Belafonte; from the ever-present Susan Sarandon, and (of course) from Pete Seeger, who seems to be devoting his senior years to heralding the long-lost causes of his youth.

This time, I will not be among those attending.

Writing in these pages in 1995, my late friend Eric Breindel, then The Post's editorial page editor, noted that "books, articles and documents have, for years, made . . . plain [that] . . . the Rosenbergs' guilt has certainly been a settled issue."

Here it is almost a decade later, and it seems that nothing will stop the Rosenbergs' defenders from carrying on and trying to renew their campaign. No amount of newly discovered evidence, no accumulation of new facts seems to have made a dent in their minds.

It's hard to dent granite.