Silvio Keeps His Business Cool

You've got to hand it to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. No matter what happens, he brings a thoroughly business mindset to the job of governing Italy. Sex scandals? He eats them for breakfast. Allegations of impropriety? It's all a Rupert Murduochian plot! Just today, he had something of a reversal. Italy's Constitutional Court, which is in charge of such things, decided that he and his top officials could be prosecuted for crimes committed while in office.

Now, a normal government official anywhere else in the world might blanche at such information. In Japan, the fellow might commit seppuku. In the United States, he might have to go on Oprah after holding the obligatory press conference. But not Mr. Berlusconi, who honed his public skills in the trenches of media ownership. Nope. The NY Times reports: "A defiant Mr. Berlusconi said he would 'forge on' and accused the Constitutional Court of 'left-wing' bias against him, the ANSA news agency reported. 'We must govern for five more years with or without the law.'"

Spoken like a true mogul! My money's on you, man!