Oscar for Berlusconi

The Italians posting videos to YouTube (here and here and here and the one embedded here) make an excellent case that the attack on Berlusconi was faked;

1. the cameraman meticulously following Berlusconi's every move mysteriously turns away vaguely into the crowd just before the attack;
2. you can see the swing of the attacker at Berlusconi, which misses him;
3. Berlusconi immediately puts a black piece of plastic he had been holding in his hand (?) over his face (but in the moment before he does so you can see his face is unmarked);
4. there is no blood above the plastic at first, but when Berlusconi emerges from his car there is a new smear of blood under his eye;
5. his bodyguards spend some time obscuring our view while they apply the makeup in the car (and one may have a can of some spray-on substance);
6. the makeup appears as caked and dried blood, not what you would see as the result of a very recent attack.
   

The trickery worked - Berlusconi's personal popularity in Italy soared after the attack.