Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has called President Barack Obama "sun-tanned" again. Fresh from the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pa., the gaffe-proned politician told a crowd in Milan, "I bring you greetings from a person who is called...a person who is sun-tanned... Barack Obama." He took it a step further and said, "You wouldn't believe it, but they go sunbathing at the beach together - his wife is also sun-tanned." You will recall that he sparked international outrage last November when he first described Mr. Obama as "sun-tanned." The man just doesn't learn. I thought President George W. Bush was a gaffe-machine, but this guy beats him by a landslide. He's in the same class as Vice President Joe Biden.
Berlusconi snubbed by Michelle Obama at G-20 Summit (AFP/Getty)
At the G20 meeting last week, Mrs. Obama rebuffed his open arms and pointedly chose to shake his hand rather than give him hug and a kiss on the cheek, as she did to other world leaders. I guess her reserve may have been a deliberate move not to appear cozy with a man who has been dogged since last April by accusations that he "consorts with minors" young enough to be his granddaughters and that he had slept with a high-class prostitute at his private mansion in Rome.
Once again, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is in the news for all the wrong reasons. You will recall that he is a gaffe machine like Vice President Joe Biden. He called President Obama "sun tanned" after he won the presidential election last year. Berlusconi is quoted as saying that he doesn't know if he wants to patch up his marriage and demanding a public apology from his wife, actress Veronica Lario. What a narcissist. Berlusconi, here's my question to you, if she doesn't apologize publicly, exactly what will you do? Isn't that a threat?
His wife confirmed Sunday she is seeking a divorce from Berlusconi for his constant flirtations with younger women. They have been together since 1980, married in 1990 and have three children in their twenties, but have lived separate lives for many years.
The top editors of Corriere della Sera and La Stampa wrote in Monday's editions that they spoke with Berlusconi, and the premier is feeling bitter about Lario's revelations that she wants to split.
"Veronica will have to publicly apologize to me. And I don't know if that will be enough," Corriere quoted Berlusconi as saying. The Milan daily says when it asked Berlusconi if he was thinking of patching up the couple's nearly 30-year-long relationship, the premier replied: "I don't believe so. I don't know if I want to this time." Berlusconi was quoted as expressing annoyance with his wife, claiming this is the "third time in an election campaign that she plays a joke like this on me."
Last week, Lario, a good-looking woman who generally shuns the limelight of her husband's wealth and office, also made known she was irked by her husband's attending the 18th-birthday party of the daughter of a friend of his in Naples. She claimed that Berlusconi never attended the 18th-birthday parties of his own children. Source: Huffington Post
Ouch. That's low.
The bottom line is that Silvio Berlusconi needs to stop throwing his weight around because he is coming looking like a spoiled brat who throws a temper tantrum when he doesn't get his way. The last thing he should do is air his dirty laundry in public.
Yep, I wondered with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would put his foot in his mouth and he lived up to my expectations! He has caused outrage once again by making a really insulting comment about thousands of survivors of Monday's earthquake. He told a German N-TV reporter that the 17,000 earthquake survivors "have everything they need, they have medical care, hot food... Of course, their current lodgings are a bit temporary. but they should see it like a weekend of camping."
You will recall that he got into trouble twice last week for gaffes made during the G-20 and NATO meetings. He appeared to upset Queen Elizabeth II by shouting over her shoulder at President Obama, and then he appeared to upset German chancellor Angela Merkel by chatting on his cell phone rather than formerly greeting her in Germany. This is also the person who described President Obama, two days after his election, as "young, handsome and suntanned"."
What an idiot. Even former President George W. Bush, known for his many gaffes, certainly would have been a lot more diplomatic than Berlusconi. He needs to stick to a script and not deviate one iota. He doesn't need to field questions from reporters.
Resident Maria Francesco told AFP: "It was the apocalypse, our house collapsed. It's destroyed, and there's nothing left to recover." The devastation in the wake of an earthquake that struck L'Aquila, Italy, is heartbreaking and horrific. What I find interesting, however, is how easily warnings are shrugged off by the relevant authorities. There were dire warnings about terrorist attacks prior to September 11, 2001, but they were shrugged off. Then the same people are shocked beyond words when the warnings materialize.
Seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani had predicted that a deadly earthquake would strike L'Aquila, Italy, weeks before Monday's quake, but was muzzled by officials, Reuters reported. He was reportedly forced to take his findings off the Internet and was reported to police for "spreading alarm," according to Reuters. Last month, vans with loudspeakers reportedly drove around L'Aquila telling residents to evacuate their houses.
According to Reuters, Giuliani based his prediction on the levels of radon gas around seismically active areas. But the head of the National Geophysics Institute downplayed Giuliani's prediction. "Every time there is an earthquake there are people who claim to have predicted it," EnzoBoshci told Reuters. "As far as I know nobody predicted this earthquake with precision. It is not possible to predict earthquakes." Source: Reuters
I don't know if he could have prevented the devastation, but more lives could have quite possibly been saved if they had heeded his warnings, instead of muzzling him. We have seen this very mindset being played over in our society repeatedly. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families. I have experienced two tremors -- one in New York City in the late 1980s and one in Jamaica during the late 1970s and that was a scary thing. I can well imagine how these people must feel. I hope Silvio Berlusconi won't put his foot in his mouth during this tragedy. The last thing Italy needs is drama from him. Isn't it ironic that this 6.3-magnitude quake struck 60 miles north-east of Rome and during Holy Week?
Well, sooner or later one head of state would make a somewhat controversial statement about Barack Obama. Italy's impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described U.S. President-elect Barack Obama as "young, handsome and even tanned." Of course, I think he was joking, but I can also see how that could be considered insulting. The problem is, there seems to be a big problem in Italy with black illegal immigrants, which makes the comments problematic. So, he just couldn't bring himself to saying he was proud an African American was elected the next president of the USA, he just had to make a racist dig at Obama.
Berlusconi has a history of controversial remarks. He was asked by a reporter about the prospect for U.S.-Russian relations, which have plummeted to Cold War-levels in recent months. Berlusconi reportedly responded by saying that the relative youth of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 43, and Obama, 47, should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.
Then he said, smiling: "I told the president that (Obama) has everything needed in order to reach deals with him: he's young, handsome and even tanned."
Italian news agencies said Berlusconi later defended the remark to reporters as he returned to his hotel in Moscow, calling the statement "a great compliment" "Why are they taking it as something negative? ... If they have the vice of not having a sense of humor, worse for them," the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.
Berlusconi later told Sky TV-24 Ore that the remark was meant to be "cute" and he lashed out at those who don't see it as such, calling them "imbeciles, of which there are too many."
Berlusconi is infamous for eyebrow-raising comments. According to media reports, he once compared a German lawmaker to a Nazi camp guard, asserted after the Sept. 11 terror attacks that Western civilization was superior to Islam and more recently, that the new Spanish government had too many women.
Well, you be the judge on this one. I don't think he meant to be rude, but considering his past comments, then he probably meant to be rude. Even the Iranian and Venezuelan nutjobs had something good to say.
Well, sooner or later one head of state would make a somewhat controversial statement about Barack Obama. Italy's impolitic Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi described U.S. President-elect Barack Obama as "young, handsome and even tanned." Of course, I think he was joking, but I can also see how that could be considered insulting. The problem is, there seems to be a big problem in Italy with black illegal immigrants, which makes the comments problematic. So, he just couldn't bring himself to saying he was proud an African American was elected the next president of the USA, he just had to make a racist dig at Obama.
Berlusconi has a history of controversial remarks. He was asked by a reporter about the prospect for U.S.-Russian relations, which have plummeted to Cold War-levels in recent months. Berlusconi reportedly responded by saying that the relative youth of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 43, and Obama, 47, should make it easier for Moscow and Washington to work together.
Then he said, smiling: "I told the president that (Obama) has everything needed in order to reach deals with him: he's young, handsome and even tanned."
Italian news agencies said Berlusconi later defended the remark to reporters as he returned to his hotel in Moscow, calling the statement "a great compliment" "Why are they taking it as something negative? ... If they have the vice of not having a sense of humor, worse for them," the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.
Berlusconi later told Sky TV-24 Ore that the remark was meant to be "cute" and he lashed out at those who don't see it as such, calling them "imbeciles, of which there are too many."
Berlusconi is infamous for eyebrow-raising comments. According to media reports, he once compared a German lawmaker to a Nazi camp guard, asserted after the Sept. 11 terror attacks that Western civilization was superior to Islam and more recently, that the new Spanish government had too many women.
Well, you be the judge on this one. I don't think he meant to be rude, but considering his past comments, then he probably meant to be rude. Even the Iranian and Venezuelan nutjobs had something good to say.
