- The end of an era: Silvio Berlusconi was, if nothing else, a remarkably durable politician. He served as Prime Minister three different times, briefly in the 90s and twice over the last decade, despite both political and sexual scandals (you may recall his broken promise to sell his media assets if elected, his alleged tryst with underage prostitute ‘Ruby The Heart Stealer,’ and his very specific, foul assessment of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, fr example). However, following what Reuters reports as a “humiliating” legislative defeat over proposed reforms to meet the fiscal demands of the euro zone debt crisis, Berlusconi will soon be on the way out. Honestly, we never thought this guy’s political life would end with a parliamentary defeat. It somehow seems not salacious or bizarre enough, given the rest of the man’s career. (Photo by Alessio85) source