Berlusconi is Back!!!

As part of my revamping of my courses for next semester, I had begun thinking about deleting my Italian political history case study from my European Politics course.  That was before I heard that Silvio Berlusconi's party had withdrawn its support from the current Italian government.  Oh Silvio, you are truly the gift that keeps on giving.

This video is from when he was the Prime Minister.  Even The Daily Show, which doesn't cover the escapades of European politicians quite as much as the Colbert Report, could not resist the Berlusconi story.  Jon has an excellent summary of Berlusconi's return to the political stage, although at the end you'll notice a fundamental misunderstanding of parliamentary politics.  Go ahead, check it out and see what I"m talking about.  I'll wait.  (this may be NSFW).  The Daily Show's "The Bungover 4"
You'll notice Jon says "who would take this seriously" before showing that Monti has stepped down from the PM (prime minister) position "before the end of his term" says the newscaster.  Jon seems to be suggesting that Prime Minister Monti was acting hastily.  Yet, in parliamentary systems, the PM rules at the pleasure of a majority of the directly elected legislature (parliament).  It is common enough, especially in Italy, for a PM to lose his/her coalition support and be forced to call an early election.
Sadly, Berlusconi's grip on Italian political life is not simply amusing.  Instead it reflects his near control of the media in Italy, as well as the criminal activities he has undertaken to gain and maintain power.  Thankfully, it appears Berlusconi may have over-played his cards, as he recently announced that he would actually support Mr. Monti as a candidate for PM if he led a more 'moderate' coalition government.  I suggest we all stay tuned.  I doubt this is the last we have heard of Silvio.