Change, bling, and fitness to lead

The Guardian Editorial on Berlusconi, Bling, Italy, and the G8 Summit:

Mr Berlusconi is the symptom but not necessarily the entire cause of his country's drift. Italians are not scandalised by him. They are dismayed about being criticised in the foreign press as a result of his antics, but they are not calling for the man himself to go.
Other European countries have coped with charismatic populists. France had a heavy dose of Nicolas Sarkozy in his bling phase, until the French said "ça suffit" and the president changed tack. But that is not happening in an Italy which secretly admires the agility of its leaders in escaping from the tightest of political corners. Until Italians start demanding serious standards from their leaders, the country is perhaps not the best venue for serious world summits.

I'm not buying it and I'm puzzled that all that the Guardian finds wrong with Berlusconi is his bling and clownesque behavior when his different times as the prime minister of Italy has shown that they are just a side show designed to distract attention away from his politics and policies. It is ridiculous to focus on Berlusconi the clown because such a distraction enables him to flirt shamelessly with Neo-Fascism groups and to concentrate his power while entertaining Italy and the world.