Italy’s Berlusconi poised for comeback

And yet, improbably, as his political buddies Tony Blair and George W Bush increasingly ponder how history will judge them, the flamboyant billionaire appears to be on the cusp of a political comeback in general elections Sunday and Monday.

How does he do it?

Beyond the fabled charisma and the showmanship, the cruise ship crooner-turned media magnate-turned political phenom strikes a profound chord with many Italians because he is the very image of their own aspirations, foibles, passions and flaws.

A soccer buff in a soccer-mad country, Berlusconi bought the AC Milan club and turned it into one of the world’s most successful teams. His married life has played out in passionate language in the national press.

And if rule-bending is something of a national art in Italy, Berlusconi is the master.

Ordinary Italians at once relate to his down-to-earth, roguish charm and admire a glamorous lifestyle that for the masses is the stuff that dreams are made on.

Berlusconi is proud of his wealth and not afraid to show it off. He plays his entrepreneurial past to his advantage, arguing that if he can build a great business he can build a great Italy, too.