Mortadella per tutti?

It appears as if Italians have chosen the political equivalent of lunch meat over a lounge act. Romano Prodi, (nicknamed Mortadella, that balogna-like meat roll) of the center-left coalition, appears to have narrowly, narrowly, narrowly defeated incumbent Silvio Berlusconi, the crooning, billionaire head of state. But the margin of victory is worrying. Prodi certainly doesn't have a resounding mandate from the people, something his squabbling, tenuous coalition partners will remind him the moment he tries to tackle serious reform. There aren't too many people in Italy claiming victory today.