Silvio, it's the truth.

Berlusconi was this week described by a source as an "amateur", "hated by many", and "regarded by many as a political dilettante who gained his high office only through use of his considerable influence on the national media". Furthermore, they said, he's "one of the most controversial leaders" of Italy, a country "known for governmental corruption and vice".

The source was nothing less than a US government briefing. And they should know - George Bush ticks all the same boxes, despite not actually owning the national media. For both men they could also say "he relied on circumvention of the legal system either to take power or to retain it".

It's the apology that gets me, though. Should you really apologise for telling the truth, even to a guest?