Do “they” really hate America as much as Democrats claim? During Bush’s term the French, Germans and Italians (again) elected pro-American leaders.

Berlusconi is back.

…more than 80 percent of Italians eligible to vote did so on April 13, a record for a parliamentary election in any of the mature democracies. No sign of crisis there.

The election campaign itself was the most rigorously fought in Italy since its liberation from Fascist rule in 1944. Berlusconi, often portrayed by the media as something of a clown if not a conjurer of tricks, put the case for a market-based capitalist and democratic system in simple but powerful terms.

His rival, former Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, leader of the new Democratic Party, succeeded in putting forward the case for a social-democratic system, with the state playing the central role as a distributor of wealth and welfare.

Berlusconi spoke of discipline, family values, hard work and individual generosity. Veltroni countered with his talk of solidarity, sharing and collective compassion.

On foreign policy, Berlusconi advocated a strategy of peace based on strength with a tough message against “all enemies of democracy across the globe.” Veltroni offered a policy of “dialogue and accommodation.”

Berlusconi’s message was unabashedly pro-American, promising to strengthen transatlantic relations, especially in the context of the global War on Terror.

Veltroni urged greater European solidarity and made most of the usual anti-American noises.

For the first time in decades, Italian voters had a clear choice - and they liked it.