Silvio Berlusconi: Denials, Affirmations, And The "Asking For It" Defense

A couple of noteworthy if minor developments in the ongoing saga of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi: The premier claimed that "Most Italians would like to be like me and they support my behaviour," which may actually be true, and also pointed to a 70% approval rating, which is almost certainly not. (He also disputed any rift whith the Catholic Church, which, well.)

Noemi Letizia—the teenager at whose birthday party Berlusconi appeared, setting off the current wave of scandals—denied that she was the reason for his impending divorce and claimed that she calls him "daddy" because "I like to give nicknames to people whom I love. So I gave one to Silvio because he is sweet."

Berlusconi's lawyer claimed the Prime Minister would be willing to testify in court that "not only is he not a big lecher, but also that he is not impotent."

Finally, the paper owned by Berlusconi's brother Paolo unleashed a campaign against deceased industrialist Gianni Agnelli, the billionaire who was arguably Italy's closest analogue to Berlusconi in terms of wealth and influence. In an attempt to minimize Berlusconi's actions by comparison, Il Giornale argued:

If it was to be proven that Agnelli was not a praised, imitated, exemplary gentleman but a crook, it would be worth asking why in Italy there are progressive types who consider stealing from the people less serious than touching the bottoms of girls who like their bottoms to be touched.

Yep. That's their argument! Tune in tomorrow, there's bound to be more.