An Awkward Silence

As a rule, Italian politics is low-down, loud and dirty. But for nearly a month, Rome has been silent on what is potentially one of its biggest political stories: Umberto Bossi, the charismatic and outspoken leader of the once separatist Northern League, is gravely ill. Bossi, 62, has been in a medically induced coma since suffering a heart attack on March 11. But after his wife demanded a press blackout, coverage has been limited to brief League declarations that Bossi is expected to be back in fighting form for the European Parliament election campaign this spring.

Still, amid...