Che Coglione

In the spirit of trans Atlantic cooperation, Silvio Berlusconi has emulated Antonin Scalia in the use of Italian obscenities. He is actually Italian and he wasn't in church but he definitely regrets saying 'ho troppo stima per l'intelligenza degli italiani per pensare che ci siano in giro così tanti coglioni che possano votare contro il proprio interesse' "I have too much respect for the intelligence of Italians to think there there are so many shmucks who can vote against their own interests" (that is vote against him). The word coglioni litereally means testicles. It is used to mean idiots. There is no good English translation, but shmuck is both anatomically and semantically close.

Italians are pretty relaxed about swear words, but the comment was considered rude and unbefitting the dignity of the worlds most ridiculous head of government (now that Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned (they were tied while leading respectively Thais love Thais and yaaaaay Italy).

Actually the coglioni line was less amazing to me than Berlusconi's complaints about he "press of the regime" which is out to get him, given his pathalogical near monopoly on TV. I think his kid brother's Giornale is not part of the regime's press (although he has publicly complained that his employees are unfair to him on the news show of one of his networks).

The comedy of Tom DeLay christian martyr is just not in the same league.