Posted on 06/14/2009 1:33:23 AM PDT by bruinbirdman
When Silvio Berlusconi was last in Washington in October 2008, George Bush fêted him for two days: there was a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn, a state dinner, meetings in the Oval Office and a Rose Garden press conference.
The Italian Prime Minister’s first one-to-one encounter with President Obama on Monday will be a rather different affair. He will be in Washington less than a day. He will hold an Oval Office meeting, followed by a very brief question-and-answer session with reporters. By evening he will be on his way back to Rome.
It is hard to think of two men more different, both ideologically and in their personal behaviour, than the US President and his Italian guest. Mr Obama will not let those differences show in public. Yet the prospect of Mr Berlusconi’s arrival in Washington, amid scandals over his relationship with a teenage model, his very public divorce, stories of semi-naked showgirls at his Sardinian villa — even his decision last week to repeat comments about Mr Obama’s “suntan” — has not filled the White House with joy.
The Italian leader was one of Mr Bush’s staunchest supporters on the international stage but his antics and statements since Mr Obama’s election victory have hardly got relations with the new Administration off to a good start. Indeed, Mr Obama has kept him at arms length since taking office, with no bilateral meetings until now. It is far from clear that Monday’s meeting would even be taking place were it not for Mr Berlusconi now holding the rotating G8 presidency, ahead of the G8 summit in L’Aquila in July.
What has particularly irked US officials is Mr Berlusconi’s attempts to play the elder statesman. From afar he has lectured the Obama Administration on its need to repair relations with
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Sorry Silvio, you ain’t no Hugo Chavez.
Semi-nekked showgirls? I say we make Italy the next state.
Can anyone think of an ally whom Zer0 hasn’t insulted?
Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?
This should catch Hillary and Bill’s attention.
Real reason?
American now supports terrorists
and not its previous allies.
Khadafi of Libya, has just visited Italy on ‘business’ matters. He bought 10% of Fiat in the seventies, and, probably is demanding special board representation since the Obama brokered Chrysler deal. Fiat may not desire Khadafi interference, and, Berlusconi may not want it either. Could this possibility be part of the Berlusconi/Obama meeting?
Wife family is Italian and Irish and judging from her relatives I’m no sure we’d care to have either Italy or Ireland as states.
You think the folks here are crazy, just go watch them drive around ROME.
Continuation of the dissing of western Europe, western culture,
although Michelle seems to really like it over there. Obviously,
sacrifice applies to everyone except Obama and friends.
With respect to the Obama administration, we are all elder statesmen. Obama's naivety is exceeded only by his audacity.
The late Lewis Grizzard once explained the difference between naked and nekkid;Naked=you ain’t got no clothes on;Nekkid=you ain’t got no clothes on and you’re up to something.
Let’s just hope Michelle doesn’t decide to keep up with the fashion of the semi-naked girls the way she’s tried to compete with Carla Bruni’s fashion!
Turkey
too funny
That sentence contains what should have been the title of Obama's book: The Audacity of Naivete.
Silvio is a decent man with a sense of humor. That would really be out of place in today’s White House.
Give him time.
AQ has a nutty muzzy for a leader and so do we¿?
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