"He is a cheerful man, even a bit of a joker, prone to sudden outbursts of anger and just as quick to forget them. He served as a minister in both the First and Second Republics, as Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, and as secretary of the PLI. When I was editor-in-chief of *Cuore*, he sued me, though neither of us remembers why. He is dogged by an undeserved reputation as a heavy drinker and a well-deserved one as a witticism-spinner."