By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Although Italy's Silvio Berlusconi resigned in disgrace a year ago, has since been convicted of tax fraud and now faces plunging poll numbers, the media baron is showing he still has the power to put pressure on his successor, Premier Mario Monti.
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Wednesday survived his first test in parliament since the breakup with a powerful ally, a victory that leaves his conservative government safely in place at least until after the summer.
He has denied the charges.
"He can't see himself leaving the stage," said Giovanni Orsina, a political science professor at Rome's LUISS university and author of "The Right After
