Sweaty politicians' sticky moments

It's always useful to have a clean white handkerchief in your pocket when answering tricky questions from the public. Here, Barack Obama shows us how it's done at a town hall meeting at the Orange County fair in California Photograph: Larry Downing/Reuters

Poor old Bill Rammell needed a powder lady on hand when he was questioned over the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on the BBC Photograph: BBC

A telltale trickle of sweat can tell onlookers volumes about what a politician is really feeling inside ...
Photograph: Dan Chung/The Guardian

Although sometimes it can just be because it's a REALLY hot day and you've forgotten to bring a spare shirt Photograph: Joseph Sohm/Corbis

... Or you're on the ranch, and who gives a damn anyhow? Photograph: Getty Images/Getty Images North America

Sometimes, it's not just perspiration that can be your problem, but a certain rosy glow, as David Cameron demonstrates Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images Europe

Sweating can have a seriously negative impact on the image you're trying to portray Photograph: Mimmo Chianura/Rex Features

Number 10 initially spun Tony Blairs infamous sweating as a sign of manliness, but after the Iraq war his critics used it as a sign of guilt Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is frequently pictured working up a sweat while he runs and is a believer in the well-known equation: volume of sweat produced x clingyness of clothing = fearsome level of masculinity Photograph: Dominique Charriau/WireImage

Al Gore uses his body to illustrate the impact of climate change Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

We never thought we'd be able to find a picture of the Iron Lady sweating, but we sort of did ... amazing Photograph: E Hamilton West/Guardian

Historians argue about how much of an impact Richard Nixon's sweating, dishevelled appearance had on the voters in a television debate with Kennedy in 1960. Well folks, Kennedy won the election ... Photograph: AP