Hey, remember when Vladimir Putin convinced a beauty in the Duma to share his neverending quest for the undying fealty of his fellow Russians? Well, you'd have to forgive us for wondering if Silvio Berlusconi wasn't trying to make the same thing happen, Italian style. Step one: get some hotties working close to him in the President's office. Someone like Mara Carfagna, former model and new Italian Equal Opportunity Minister. She's pretty striking here -- kind of like Catherine Zeta-Jones by way of Phoebe cates -- but we know what you're after. You wanna see what Ms. Carfagna looked like when she was a semi-nude model? Right? (Well, we hope so, because that's what you're gonna get after the jump...)

We're pretty sure that in Italy, this is not what they mean by pressing the flesh. But, um, let's just say we're gonna look into it as soon as we can. (And as soon as the dollar isn't funny money.)

[via Daily Mail]