Editor's Note: Corridors of Power, penned by WPR Editor-at-Large Roland Flamini, appears in WPR every Monday.
SORRY ABOUT THAT NO. 1 -- It's generally considered poor form in the international community for a foreign leader visiting a friendly country to have a private meeting with the leader of the opposition, but President George Bush wasn't going to be in Rome and pass up a chance to spend quality time with prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. Prior to Saturday's presidential visit, the Italian government had made it clear to the White House that a meeting with Berlusconi would not be appreciated, and the newspaper La Repubblica, which is close to the left-of-center administration, warned that it would represent "a slap in the face of the Italian government." But the White House shrugged off Rome's objections, and the reunion with one of Bush's stalwart Iraq supporters went ahead as planned. ...
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