Whether it was by provocatively modelng in his Armani underwear or being paraded in front of the press in another exquisitely tailored suit, Beckham set the bar high when it came to looking sharp.
And he may founder under unreasonably high expectations in the next two debates (the first of which, on foreign policy not his strongest suit was set to take place after The Economist went to press).
Though Yasuo Tanaka, the controversial governor of Nagano prefecture, broke from tradition by opening up press events to all journalists and the public after his election in 2001, few others have followed suit.