Italy's election campaign has begun with a jolt. No sooner did Silvio Berlusconi throw his hat into the ring or, as he put it, entered the playing field ("sceso in campo") for the sixth time in twenty years, than Premier Mario Monti bowed out.
You chose: resign
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ROME - The front page of Il Sole-24 Ore, Italy's leading financial daily, said it all today, in a gigantic headline with just two words, written in 6-inch-tall letters: FATE PRESTO - Do it fast. And fast is what is happening today. President Giorgio Napolitano's appointment yesterday of the prestigious Mario Monti, front-runner to replace Berlusconi as premier of a government intended to stop the dithering, paved the way. Things are indeed speeding up, and today the political know-it-alls were already putting together a guess list of possible ministers to serve with Monti. This weekend is shaping up as crucial, and when I phoned the Quirinal Palace to see about a possible visit (the palazzo (it's open every Sunday), I was told that it will likely be closed for consultations with party leaders. Berlusconi's resignation, following a vote--due this weekend--over the budget as presented to the EU, is moving closer.
