Sex scandals challenge two prominent politicians

ROME - One has been charged with attempted rape, the other is on trial for having allegedly had sex with an underage prostitute.

The accusations may be different but the scandals surrounding Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Silvio Berlusconi reveal underlying similarities.

Critics say the moral of the "Berluskahn" story is an age-old one: the corrupting influence of power and the hubris of a class of male politicians.