The infamous shirtless photos of the 56-year-old "Prime Minster" of Russia caused quite a stir back east when they surfaced last year, and we all laughed at the Russians for gushing over their thick, evil leader. Then of course we elected Barry Obama and today's New York Post headline is "FIT FOR OFFICE." So the joke is on us!

But Matt Drudge's readers hate liberals even more than they hate commies, or ex-commies, so they all think Putin with his pants cinched way up like an old man on his fishing trip in Siberia is "hotter" than Barry hanging out in Hawaii. Really, this battle of the bare-chested middle-aged world leaders is just weird. We wonder what would happen if Drudge polled Obama versus Sarkozy.

Oh, wait, BREAKING:

GLOBAL MAINSTREAM NEWS MEDIA REPORT - KHNL HAWAII

Obama expected to surf

This changes EVERYTHING.

There are, of course, other coveted White House liaisons beyond Gibbs. The top picks:

Jon Favreau, 27, top speechwriter : Not to be confused with the actor from Swingers. How did he get Rob Lowe's West Wing job at such a young age? Worked for the John Kerry campaign right out of college and met Obama backstage at the convention. He couldn't get dates during the campaign, due both to the rigors of the trail and skeptical girls: "There’s been a few times when people have said, ‘I don’t believe you, that you’re Barack Obama’s speechwriter.' To which I reply, ‘If I really wanted to hit on you, don’t you think I’d make up something more outlandish?’ ”

Cox: "No matter what happens in the Obama transition, one thing is for sure: Jon Favreau will still get laid as often as he wants."

Favreau isn't going to be able to do much for you immediately, like write you into a speech or whatever, so throw yourself at him if you're young and can afford to make a long-term investment in the future. Or, you know, just for kicks.

Timothy Geithner, 47, Treasury Secretary : Is anything sexier than moving from Henry Kissinger's consulting firm to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York? Enough said, really, but then there's this review: "Mr Geithner looks a lot younger than his 47 years." That' s positively flirty by Economist standards! And you-all have already demanded him topless in a fundraising calendar.

Now you know who you have to blow to get a government bailout around here! Although he's been married for more than 20 years, so you probably won't get past flirting.

UPDATE: He's kind of a dick who hates the poors. Oh, sorry, we already said he worked for Kissinger, didn't we?

Rahm Emanuel, 49, chief of staff: Pretty sexy, for a gimp! Ha ha just kidding, please don't bludgeon us to death or stab our families, Rahmbo!

He's "all kinds of hot," a "total babe" and, oh ya, a former ballet dancer, and triathlete so let your imagination run wild. But he's married, too, so prepare for disappointment. Although there are probably plenty of OTHER things the second-most-powerful man in the world could do that would make you happy (like having your enemies audited).

We're probably forgetting, like, half the cabinet, so post your nominations in the comments or send them by email. Especially if you know some Obama hotties of the female persuasion. Diversity is important!

"When I saw his naked torso and a slain Siberian tiger lying at his feet, I almost had a stroke. Won-der-ful!" Signorini said in a reference to Putin's much-photographed shirtless fishing trip in Siberia last year and an incident recently when Putin shot a tiger with a tranquilizer gun, putting it to sleep but not killing it.

"He is my erotic dream. I find him absolutely astonishing," Signorini said by telephone Friday from Milan. "I'm attracted by his charisma and his icy glance."

The comments could embarrass both the Italian and Russian governments.

Um, "embarrass"? More like Signorini is probably going to get deaded. But can you blame him for risking some mysterious poisoning? The brutal enemy of the Chechens and other freedom-wanting types is foiiin, as evidenced by the rippling slabbiness of the small gallery below.

[EW]

Justin is described as a "creative type," which sounds promising. But then we hear that he showed up to the shoot in "Rockport loafers." Shudder. Justin, you're not a dad! There's no need to wear Rockport loafers, or loafers of any nature, for at least another 20 or 30 years!

The worst part is that Men's Health toughened him up by replacing the loafers with motorcycle boots... Rockport motorcycle boots.

*(Maybe there was that one time at Tufts! We hear.)

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Win a Trip: Will's Reflections [NYT]

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