Bozo the Berlusconi
It was embarrassing to be an American during the Bush era, but what’s up with those zany people in Italy? Why do they vote for Berlusconi? Don’t they think owning most of the country’s mass media is power enough? And then…he’s such a…
The Italian Prime Minister has called President Obama “tanned” again — but this time he did not miss the opportunity to joke about the First Lady’s skin colour as well. After his return from the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Mr Berlusconi told a rally of conservative supporters that he was bringing greetings from someone in the United States. “What’s his name? Some tanned guy. Ah, Barack Obama,” he said. He then added: “You won’t believe it, but the two of them sunbathe together, because the wife is also tanned.”
Gee – what a funny joke. I can’t wait for his next tour of Africa.
As my sainted father would have said “Jesus H Christ.”
Berlusconi is pathetic. . . I am mortified.
I want to laugh and cry at the same time. How can someone in that position be such a moron?
What the fuck? Please tell me that the Italian people are vociferously denouncing this racist idiot.
Jacob: he is embroiled in a scandal after conducting an affair
It’s my understanding that it’s Latin Machismo that is a large part of his popularity.
I think all this attention seeking on the part of Berlusconi is one gargantuan publicity stunt. I think he knows exactly (from being owner of the mass Italian media) that controversial outbursts pay off hugely. The Obama’s are just the very people he needs to be seen by the world to slag off in order to gain world-wide media notoriety. Power is a wonderful thing!
Steven Turner said:
“And if you think that Berlusconi is fit for his office, check out this video of SB in action (only 28 seconds)!”
That particular clip is a fake. I think its from a satirical TV show from a few years back.
The worst thing about it is that of all the world leaders it is Berlusconi alone that one can easily believe would have done such a thing.
Ah, if it’s a fake I was taken in. Sorry to anyone else who was misled by my posting it.
There is an article in today’s Times (London) about harassment of SB’s opponents (though it is not clear that anybody has been physically threatened).
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6857539.ece
The “Why Silvio Berlusconi” for the Nobel prize (that I linked to above) is quite interesting: most of the endorsement seems to be from Colonel Ghaddafi.
Sigmund is quite right that one could easily believe such a thing (the video) of Berlusconi. For me, SB illustrates HL Mencken’s point:
“Democracy is the art of running the circus from the monkey cage.”
(cf. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/H._L._Mencken )
Yes, I dare say if Angela Merkel had a stable of lovers in Bonn it would be a different sort of scandal.
And if President Ahmydadsajew of Iran had girlfriends everywhere it would draw attention away from certain problems he is having at the moment.
Politics is largely what you can get away with.
There’s been another (civil) conviction of SB for bribery reported today.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2009/10/05/afx6966890.html
(SB has been cleared of criminal charges in this matter already.)
The affair in question took place in 1990, we’ll all be long dead by the time it gets resolved! Which of course is the point, it’s a war of attrition.
There are legal actions pending against him in several countries, which are in suspense because as PM of Italy he is immune from prosecution. Something wrong with such a system methinks.
(Obviously if he were at all decent he would stand down and let these take their course.)
We could propose him for Nobel prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Literature.
What do you think? Physiology would be to recognise his, er, prowess, Physics for his physique, Chemistry for how he gets enough people to vote for him and Literature for his ingenious get-out-of-jail-free-Silvio laws.