1. George W. Bush
www.abc.net.au
This list can’t go without George W. Bush anyway. He has made so many gaffes that no one can count. One of the biggest, however, was the overfriendly greet with German “Iron lady” Chancellor Angela Merkel. On the Eight Summit in 2006 the American President greeted her with a neck rub. Merkel reacted quickly and shrugged his hands away. It’s unknown what she thought about it.
2. Silvio Berlusconi
www.listphobia.com
Italian Prime Minister and business empire owner is also a gaff champion. He is well known about his comments about women, but this time he went too far. The European Food Safety Authority in 2005 was held in Parma, Italy, instead of Finland. He explained that he deserved the credit about it because “he had to dust off his playboy skills with the Finnish President Tarja Halonen to convince her to locate EFSA in Parma.”
3. Hilary Clinton and Kim Jong Il
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North Korean dictator is world wide known about his unreasonable moves and that’s the reason why Hilary Clinton dared to criticize him. She said that North Koreans act like “small children or unruly teenagers,” a comment that really angered “the great leader.” He didn’t wait too long to respond, stating that “he cannot but regard Mrs. Clinton as a funny lady as she likes to utter such rhetoric, unaware of the elementary etiquette in the international community. Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping.”
4. Muammar al-Gaddafi
www.abc.net.au
It’s not clear what the “great leader” Gaddafi wanted to say on the Arab Summit in Qatar, but everyone has his own perception about himself, however. The statement: “I am an international leader, the dean of the Arab rulers, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of Muslims, and my international status does not allow me to descend to a lower level.” It’s unknown if he has taken any drugs before the speech.
5. Nicolas Sarkozy
www.allvoices.com
Obviously French President Nicolas Sarkozy didn’t know that Russian Vladimir Putin is tough guy. He had a long conversation with him during the G8 Summit in 2007, probably drinking vodka while talking. Unfortunately, Sarkozy had to go on a press conference right after, and he could do nothing but trying to barely stand on his feet, asking for questions saying it on funny way.
6. Dan Quayle
www.worth1000.com
Dan Quayle was Vice President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. However, no one remembers him by this fact. He became famous when he was sitting in on a spelling bee in a primary school in New York in 1992. When one of the students wrote “potato” on the blackboard, he showed his “incredible” spelling skills and told him that he should add an “a” on the end (potatoe). The student believed him and did so.
7. Ronald Reagan
www.free-desktop-backgrounds.net
Ronald Reagan almost created an atmosphere as Orson Wells did with his “War of the Worlds.” He was making the sound check before an interview when he said: “My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes.” Unfortunately, the microphone was on and the whole nation could hear that. It didn’t result with World War III, however.
8. Gerhard Schroder
www.wiedenmeier.ch
Former German Chancellor wasn’t known because of gaffes, but this one is worth mentioning. During a visit of Israel he went to pay respects at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, together with the host Ehud Barak. He even had the honor to bolster the eternal flame in honor of the dead by turning the handle, but all he did was to turn the fire off. It’s creepy when German official does something like this.
9. Mel Lastman
www.flickr.com
Toronto was candidate for organizing the Olympics in 2008, but their mayor simply destroyed their chances. He had to go to Mombassa, Kenya to lobby for votes and wasn’t happy about going there. He opened his heart to a reporter, saying: “What the hell do I want to go to a place like Mombassa? I’m sort of scared about going out there, but the wife is really nervous. I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me.” We still remember the fantastic Olympic games in Beijing 2008.
10. Silvio Berlusconi, again
www.leosigh.com
We could make a Top 10 list only with Italian Prime Minister and owner of AC Milan. This guy tells jokes wherever he appears. It’s amazing how funny he can be as sometimes it’s hard to believe that he governs one of the richest countries in the world, actually. During the election campaign in 2008 he took participation in TV show where voters asked him questions. One young girl asked what she would have to do to get a secure job in Italy. The answer: “Try to marry the son of Berlusconi… with a smile like yours, you could try.”
