US House used for fascist Berlusconi campaign backdrop

Sorry if this is a dupe...I didn't see it posted anywhere on DU and find it absolutely ASTOUNDING!

A little inside story from my House on the Hill ...

Wednesday the Congress convened in joint session to hear an address by the leader of a major ally -- an infrequent and usually solemn occasion. Instead, I think we were cast as extras in an orchestrated political event for Italian TV.

We set aside legislative business and filed into the House Chamber only to hear right-of-center media billionaire Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi speak in Italian with no interpreter. Organized applause was prompted at certain points from the uncomprehending crowd (Members of Congress plus "blue-coated interns, sent in to fill empty seats").

C-SPAN snubbed the event -- a Joint Session of Congress! (Doesn't C-SPAN cover everything?) But the rousing reception aired live overseas, on Berlusconi's own TV stations, skirting his country's equal-time laws in a tough election cycle.

He played it up big in Italian papers, too. "They told me that there has never been such a warm welcome for any other country. They counted fifteen rounds of applause and three standing ovations ... Republican and Democrats alike. It was therefore a 'bipartisan' thing."

A 'bipartisan' thing, sure. What's a poor Irish lad to do? Sit on my hands, and later find out he was calling for aid to Darfur? Or clap like a trained seal and then find out it was for Operation Iraqi Liberation?

Here's what happened. One of the President's conservative allies was a few points down in the polls, and somebody called in a favor. Bush himself had better things to do, but we were mobilized to help get his coalition partner re-elected.

Worried about media consolidation? Look at Italy where one guy can own the media, and the government, and book the US Congress in a made-for-TV campaign special!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/3/92510/20078

of the Niger forgeries was kinda transparent, don't cha think? After the fact, sadly.

When I first heard about the forgeries, I didn't realize the full context and who among us followed the career of the PM, knew that he was right of center, knew that he made plenty of money as a corporate publisher?

Well, we learned that the forgeries were 'published' - published for use in setting up and helping in the running of a phony war.

Death is written all over these people. Thousands of Iraqis and our kids. Ah yes, they will go down in history, including the leaders who clapped for Berlusconi and those who were responsible in setting it all up.

Are the citizens of the this country proud of their vote for the death? (That is, if the vote was counted and not stolen).

overseas?