** FILE ** Italian life senator Francesco Cossiga is shown in this Oct. 21, 2004 photo. Roberto Benigni summed it up when he said recently that Premier Romano Prodi “prays for the good health of life senators.” Prodi’s dependence on the seven life senators _ a group of elderly people appointed for their life achievements _ was never more evident than in a confidence vote Thursday night, Dec. 6, 2007: The government survived the Senate vote thanks to life senator Francesco Cossiga, at 79 the youngest of the group. The senators for life include some distinguished personalities, such as Nobel Prize winner Rita Levi Montalcini, 98, and industrialist Sergio Pininfarina, 81; three former presidents of the republic; and two ex-premiers, including the 88-year-old Giulio Andreotti, a former seven-time head of government. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno/Files)
ITALY SAVING PREMIER PRODI
