Mr. Can't Do Right.(Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi)(Brief Article)

Since his election one year ago, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has sought to establish Italy--and himself--as an international player. But when given the chance to host 13 exiled Palestinians and take credit for resolving the Bethlehem standoff, his ministers balked, calling the idea "unthinkable." Berlusconi claims that he was not formally consulted and felt "left out" and "hurt" by the negotiators.

Maybe there's a reason they left him out. Nonstop allegations of corruption and shady dealings have given Berlusconi's critics ample firing fodder to use at every conceivable moment. He hasn't been convicted, but several charges remain pending against him across Europe. Last week a 14-month investigation into his alleged connection (through ownership of one of his companies) to the murder of two Sicilian Mafia prosecutors was thrown out--and reopened just a few days later. Ten years' worth of criminal investigations are said to link Berlusconi, in one way or another, ...