Speaking of Bringing Sexy Back

When he flexes Russia's diplomatic and military muscle, President Vladimir Putin always makes headlines.

But few could have predicted the squall of gossip and speculation that would follow after Putin stripped off his shirt for the cameras while on holiday with Prince Albert II of Monaco in the Siberian mountains last week.

The resulting images of the presidential abs, prominently enshrined on the presidential Web site, inspired admiration, criticism and some racing pulses among his admirers.

The Russian media still can't get enough.

Meanwhile, Kremlin watchers have been busy trying to guess what kind of political message the pictures might send. Opinions vary, but most observers agree that "I'm here, I'm queer, I've got 9,000 nuclear weapons, so I'd lay off the gay jokes if I were you, asshole" is in the top 2.