Alessandro Di Meo/European Pressphoto Agency – New York Times, April 16, 2008

Sylvio Berlusconi is to be the new prime minister of Italy — his third chance at the office, which he has held twice before. Berlusconi is not much liked by the press, except of course for the very large share of the press that he owns. Berlusconi is the richest man in Italy, and he controls the television networks (when in office he controls both the public and the private networks).

This photograph manages to show us of how carefully mediated Berlusconi is, staged, framed, illuminated. The press likes to remind us that Berlusconi is extremely self conscious of his looks — plastic surgery, hair treatments, trophy women. Berlusconi is 71 — the same age as John McCain.