One good intern deserves another

Meet Yummy Lapikova, a 25-year-old former Miss Moscow beauty pageant finalist and lingerie model. She has just been hired to be a personal photographer for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Here we see her practising holding a large cylindrical object, this apparently being part of the job description.

The Russian government has defended the hiring of Ms Lapikova to join the pool of Putin’s official photographers as an intern after revealing photos of her surfaced on various Russian blog sites. Walt refrains from publishing such photos, in the interests of good taste and geometry. [Really it's because we haven't found them...yet. Ed.]

Ms Lapikova's decision to advance her career by a period of study under Comrade Putin is understandable enough. Henry Kissinger famously said, "Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac." M Poutine has obviously decided to make the most of his position. Who could blame him.

Well, the self-appointed guardians of public morality -- that's who. There's a strong puritanical streak in America, and the same righteous busybodies who are shocked, SHOCKED by Weinergate would surely be more than horrified were President Al O'bama to hire a gorgeous intern for photographic or other light duties.

Oh... wait... Yes, there is the Clinton precedent. Perhaps all this proves is that presidents and prime ministers can get away with stuff of which mere congressmen can only dream wetly.