Bush Gaffes His Way Toward More International Ridicule

President Bush concluded his final G8 Summit today. Here's his parting shot:

"Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter!"

I am not making this up! And the Telegraph reports: "He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock."

Oy. Remember how earlier today Rudy Giuliani said that the Europeans hearted Barack Obama because he fuels their anti-American sentiment with all his insistence that American's learn other languages? And I said, "Know what's really reinforced feelings of anti-Americanism? President Bush and his policies!" Well, thanks for making my point for me, Mr. President. Though I needn't have waited until this morning, because the G8 Summit has historically been a venue where Bush has had great success making the other plutocrats in the G8 laugh at us.

Via ThinkProgress, here's another highlight from this week's Summit. I think everything Rudy Giuliani had to say today about how awful Obama is to encourage learning other languages just comes to life:

As the New York Times's Sheryl Gay Stolberg reports, Bush had a bit of a language mishap when speaking to "one of his best buddies in Europe," Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi:

"Amigo! Amigo!" Mr. Bush called out cheerily in Spanish when he spotted the Italian prime minister. "How you doing, Silvio? Good to see you!" Later, the president wondered about his former Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin. "Did Putin come to see you since I saw you?" he asked Mr. Berlusconi. (He had not.)

Matt Yglesias provides a handy little map of the world for Bush's advance team for the next time Bush travels to Europe to represent America, which, naturally, we hope is never.

It's not the first embarrassing moment for the White House, who earlier this week circulated a press kit that included a bio of Berlusconi that described him as ""most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice." Kinsley gaffe!

And these are just this year's highlights. Remember this "hot mike" incident of 2006? Bush was recorded complaining, "I'm not going to talk too damn long like the rest of them. Some of these guys talk too long." Then he badgered a server for a Diet Coke, noted profoundly that "Russia's big and so is China," and thanked Tony Blair for a sweater he gave him. Blair finally turned the microphone off before Bush could mention just how badly he wanted to cut Kofi Annan's nuts off.

And who could forget that time Bush tried his best move on German Chancellor Angela Merkel?

Really. The only person I can think of who's come off worse in front of the Germans is Basil Fawlty.

Comments

[marymansour]

President Barack Obama can't take office fast enough for me. This country is in dire straits under the lunatic Bush.

[filo]

Only six months and eleven days until Dubaya is out of the White House.


http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushclock.htm

[enlighteninglad]

Actually Bush HAS accomplished one thing. He has successfully slowed down time. It really is taking forever to the end of his "reign".

[ofbbg]

Old saying; "be careful what you wish for - you just might get it."

[MemphisBuffalo]

He put the ugly in the term ugly American. This is why I claim to be from Canada when out of the country. I avoid all the questions why a clown has been elected to run the country.

[ofbbg]

Why don't you just tell them that your one of those NeoCom Americans - They'll LOVE you! Gutless coward.

[Cherlesq]

We certainly cannot risk another president calling people vulgar and insulting names and thenm claim they are joking. Please do not send McCain tot he Whitehouse

[rabprevent]

THIS DUDE IS A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN PRESIDENT OF THIS COUNTRY.

AS IF HE HAS NOT DONE ENOUGH TO DESTROY OUR REPUTATION IN THE WORLD!

PLEASE FOLKS, LET'S NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE TWICE BY VOTING FOR ANOTHER DUMMY REPUBLICAN IN MCSTUPID

[swift goat pet for truth]

America already made the same mistake twice when they re-elected Bush.

[gopherinjoburg]

Hey! check the link to this story, you're missing a word! I think 'Way' is what you're looking for. Great story.

[ExPatriot70]

the shrub has sown the seeds of stupid in the U.S and unfortunately it seems he did not have a crop failure. I realize not everyone did not vote for this mistake, but we still have 20/30% where the seeds of stupid have really taken hold

[Dave01]

I wonder if they had stupid pills back in the day, because if they did I think he got an unfair share right along with the 20-30% who still think he's doing a good job.

[highlyamused]

You're kiddin....­.......I thought this was going to be a joke when I clicked on the article.
He REALLY said that?

really

well all I can say is........­..hahahaha omg ya gotta laugh....t­o keep from cryin.

omg

[TheHater]

Biggest polluters.
Most obese people.
Biggest consumers of illicit drugs.
Lowest education level of industrialized countries.
Were #1!

[ExPatriot70]

well said Hater in a very few words you hit it right on the head. We are #1 in all those catagories

[elisevil]

You forgot the most important . . .
If you don't agree that we're the best, we've got the biggest army, so just stuff it.

[ofbbg]

All of them the result of the ever increasing influence of "progressive" thought, creeping socialism and an apparent thirst for NeoFascism. My thanks to the Left.

[jacqmac]

Given the fact that several million gallons of gasoline and oil have been 'shipped out' to Iraq to burn after the vehicles they were powering were blown up and left to burn-there's SOME truth in that statement. It's still NOT FUNNY! I hate to say this but there seems to be a future for this former President on Fox News. After ALL, it was Fox News that put out the map of Iran being next door to Israel, so the general lack of geographical and linguistic knowledge that the Bush crowd has going for them would probably fit right in. GEEZ! WHEN can I take the paper bag off my head? I've lived in a perpetual state of embarrassment for the last eight years. And when will that little book called "The Ugly American" be reprinted?

[HolePunchSD]

BUSH IS SUCH A BUFFOON!
"Good bye from the world's biggest polluter!" Are you kidding me? Can this man humiliate this country any more?!
I'm willing to bet he's either snorting cocaine or drinking again.

[hellboundtrain]

He is evil personified.

[metalpipe]

He is a vessle (conduit) for the perpetuation of greed, hate, fear, and violent death. This vessle was created by his parents through what I can only assume was a complete lack of love and attention at a young age, along with a few good public beatings with a switch at family gatherings. The other possibility is he actually is the anti-christ, which may play itself out here in a month or two in the ME when we bring the Iran thing to a big, brite atomic flash.

Look Laura, that was one hell of a boom, huh. Geez.

[layman]

The sytem for electing a president is via the manipulators of the so called main streams mass communication systems, which are backed by the money and the power, to see who can successfully fool the public . If one can fool the public beautifully, one becomes president.

[Sparty1]

Ignorance is obviously bliss.

[windwalker1984]

Total idiot. Even though I am angry at O regarding his FISA vote, I imagine Mc*footinmouth in office and realize there is no way I would ever vote for Idiot II for president.

If he hadn't grown up with a rich daddy, he would have been washing dishes in some truckstop for a living.

[CindyKay]

The Man Is A Walking & Talking Skid Mark , Period !

[metalpipe]

You have to admit, he brings us together on the Huff for a good laugh once in while. I might actually miss the guy when he is gone.

[Tages72]

He's either been snorting something, is on the sauce again, or both. What a disgrace to society. He actually holds the record for best AND worst approval rating of all time. He beat Truman's record at 19% as of yesterday. And we've still got half a year until he boards the plane to Crawford! I predict it will reach single digits by then, especially if Obama pulls off a landslide in November.

John Adams once wrote regarding his entry into the White House: "May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof."

Somewhere, somehow, American voters dropped the ball. ...Hard.

And poor Adams must be spinning in his grave for the past eight years.

[newpantaloons]

The ball was NOT dropped! We have Diebold and the main stream media to thank for George Bush's presidency. Oh, and the Supreme Court.

[getoffmedz]

Not to mention the duped who voted for him, TWICE!

Many of those complaining on this blog, actually.

heh

[teller]

He's never going back to Crawford, Texas. That "ranch" just exists to prop up his "Texan" credentials which are slim really. I'd be surpised if he allows the dust of Crawford to settle on his feet ever, ever again after he leaves the White House

[Joeblue]

Who said hes leaving? Thats whats scary.

[darthdarcy]

He's an idiot, a liar and a national disgrace..­.

[Dave01]

Right along with John McCain