AP Blog: Not doubt U.S. rooting for Italy
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Now that the World Cup is underway, AP writers will be filing periodic, behind-the-scenes reports during soccer&#039;s largest spectacle:
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Culture, etc. The Bush administration yesterday gave Italy the benefit of the doubt amid reports that Rome had paid a terrorist group in Iraq a $1 million ransom to secure the release of two Italian hostages.
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America should be an overwhelming favorite in the Ryder Cup golf matches that begin Friday on Detroit&#39;s Oakland Hills course that Ben Hogan once called a monster.
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In Europe, Bush avoids looking defensive and wins a ringing endorsement by at least one foreign leader
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VENICE, Italy  - With a strong American  presence at this year's Venice International Film Festival, it  didn't take long for U.S. politics to rear its controversial  head.
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A few hours ago, Army Staff Sgt. Martin Iturralde was in southern Iraq, where fear was his constant companion, the best defense against bullets and mortars. Now he&#039;s in a park where a rock band is playing, children run and laugh &amp;#151; and his greatest worry is that the United States will lose to Italy in the World Cup.
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NEW YORK - Gli strateghi della campagna elettorale americana sono concentrati sullâanalisi degli Stati in bilico, dallâOhio alla Pennsylvania, ma câÃ¨ un luogo che potrebbe dare la vittoria a George W. Bush pur senza avere alcun &#39;grande elettore
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Once again, it appears the United States is the favorite -- at least on paper -- to win the 35th Ryder Cup matches, which unfold this weekend at Oakland Hills in suburban Detroit.
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The Bush administration yesterday gave Italy the benefit of the doubt amid reports that Rome had paid a terrorist group in Iraq a $1 million ransom to secure the release of two Italian hostages.
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Italy&#039;s focus during this World Cup has been unrivaled, perhaps a necessity for players who don&#039;t know what&#039;s coming next.
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A European gateway to the Middle East. A boost to the European Union's chances of matching American clout.
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six of the last nine competitions -- the United States appeared to have the stronger team, yet Europe won. The US squad is, at best
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Secretary of State Colin Powell used the occasion of the National Italian American Foundation Dinner October 16 to thank Italy for its unwavering support in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Colin Montgomerie believes Europe&#39;s team spirit can defeat USA - and their partisan fans - when the Ryder Cup starts this week in Oakland Hills, Michigan.
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ATHENS : Just 12 years after Michael Jordan and the United States Dream Team rolled to Olympic basketball gold, Argentina and Italy are living the dream and all that&#39;s left for Americans is a wake-up call.
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Few teams faced more questions heading into the World Cup than Italy and France. The French were over the hill &amp;#151; they couldn&#039;t even score. The Italians were consumed by the biggest soccer scandal in the nation&#039;s history. No teams have answered their doubters more emphatically.
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The Americans have the big names. The Europeans have the luck of the Irish.