Another story about libran charm & its critics...

BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7348332.stm<BR>
Italians have fallen for the not-so-subtle charms of Silvio Berlusconi(born 29 September 1936) once more.

Always ready to burst into a broad smile or to disarm an adversary with a personalised quip, he has swept up more votes than even he dreamed might be possible.

His admirers say that he has an innate understanding of the Italian psyche and an almost Midas-like capacity to turn everything he touches to gold.

But, with a vast media empire that spans national TV stations, newspapers, advertising and film, his critics see a far darker figure lurking beneath the sunny surface, someone whose image and message is meticulously created and controlled.

One of Mr Berlusconi's most outspoken critics is journalist Marco Travaglio, author of a series of controversial books on the media tycoon.

'Shaping reality'

Mr Berlusconi's pernicious control of Italy's most-watched medium - television - Mr Travaglio says, is the key to explaining why Italians succumb time and again.

"He is incredibly good at using TV to alter, hide and change reality, to give people a completely deformed impression of himself," he explains.

"Only those who read books and newspapers know about and remember the disaster that was his five years in power," he says.

Mr Berlusconi's period in office between 2001 and 2006 was Italy's longest-serving government since World War II.

I have been seeing the same set of criticism whenever there is a libra involved in politics. There is a bunch of people who criticize the motives(without any proof) and they do it even when country is progressing and everyone is happily electing him again and again.

Makes me wonder if there is some serious foul play like they accuse in every single case or yet another case of peoples incapabilities to comprehend a Libra's motives.

He owned these channels way before he came into politics. He was a successful businessman way before he landed in politics. So it doesn't make any sense that he use the channels to keep him in power. It would be the same if Steve jobs or Bill gates decide to run for office and use their products to promote themselves.