Bush addresses the Italian prime minister in Spanish: ‘Amigo! Amigo!’
Bush addresses the Italian prime minister in Spanish: ‘Amigo! Amigo!’
At the G8 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia two years ago, President Bush was caught in a candid moment on an open microphone, complaining that some of his fellow world leaders “talk too long.” Though the G8 summit was in Japan this year, the open microphones during lunch were still there. 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.)
While speaking to Berlusconi, Bush also commented on the Italian premier’s recent ethical issues. “I read the courts are after you again,” said Bush. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like it. Constantly after you.”
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July 10th, 2008 at 10:03 amImpeach Pelosi, Cheney and Bush and Save the Constitution!
Impeach them all.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:05 amSpanicals, Italios, Romaniacs – them Latins is all the same, right?
Heh heh heh.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:06 amWhat an idiot. This is on top of the White House having to apologize to Berlusconi for handing out press kits that described him as one of the “most controversial leaders in the history of a country known for government corruption and vice.”
Way to win friends and influence people, Dumbya! He’s even alienating conservative world leaders.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:07 amBush addresses the Italian prime minister in Spanish: ‘Amigo! Amigo!’
God how refreshing it’s going to be to have a President that doesn’t embarrass this country every time he opens his mouth.
It’s hard to believe that someone this stupid could have done so much damage to our country in 7 long years.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:07 amI bet our buddy Trajan will be outraged by this, huh?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:08 amAmigo is close to Amico, so it’s more his stereotype, Rocky impersonation of “How you doing, Silvio?” that I find mortifying.
Six months, one week, two days to go…
July 10th, 2008 at 10:08 amBy the way, the Italians have better healthcare than we do…
July 10th, 2008 at 10:10 amRay Edmonds Says:
Stay on topic of the thread idiot or you’ll get shit-canned faster than you can say “I love Dick (cheney)”.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:11 amI guess to Bush, anybody whose name ends in a vowel is a Spanish speaker.
However, it’s entirely possible that Bush could have been saying “Amico! Amico!” but pronouncing it in the Spanish manner with the accent on the second syllable because he didn’t know better.
Furthermore, Bush needs to find out if addressing somebody as “Friend! Friend!” (complete nonsense in English) is customary in Italian.
Bush would do well to just leave foreign languages alone unless he is very sure of what he’s doing. On the other hand, I’m sure that all the G8 members are familiar with Bush’s buffoonery by now, so I doubt this changes anything.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:12 amThe Dumbya couldn’t possibly be any more of an embarrassment to the entire human race, could he?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:12 amRay Edmonds Says: Get educated and lets discuss real issues like a stagnat economy.
He was doing a parody.
But, think there’s a viable link between an ignorant President and a crumbling economy (I’ve recently read articles by Economics who suspect hat after the rebate checks have been spent, that the Recession is going to drop hard and fast.)
July 10th, 2008 at 10:13 ammisshusseinmolly Says: Furthermore, Bush needs to find out if addressing somebody as “Friend! Friend!” (complete nonsense in English) is customary in Italian.
It isn’t, of course – just like it isn’t done here, or really anywhere I’ve ever heard of. Italians usually address one another with “Ciao (person’s name)!” when they are friendly.
I suppose we should be thankful that he didn’t then try to give Berlusconi a neck rub, or hump his leg…
July 10th, 2008 at 10:17 amMarquis De Pescara Says: If you know Spanish, use it when speaking to an Italian, they understand it better than English.
Half of my relatives are from Italy, I speak some, and have been to Italy numerous times. The Italians I know think English speaking people who speak to them in Spanish are idiots.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:19 amRay Edmonds Says
July 10th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Spanish, Italian, Portugues, Latin Americans are the same people. They are all Latins.
Get educated and lets discuss real issues like a stagnat economy.
____________________________________________________________
Hmmm…a display of unprecedented ignorance, spelling errors, and a reference to “Latins”.
Methinks our resident troll gives himself away.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:20 amhussein toasterhead Says:
Spanicals, Italios, Romaniacs – them Latins is all the same, right?
You left the Portugeese and Portuganders off your list :)~
July 10th, 2008 at 10:21 amunbelievable Says
July 10th, 2008 at 10:19 am
The Italians I know think English speaking people who speak to them in Spanish are idiots.
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There’s an excellent chance that Silvio Berlusconi thinks so, too.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:23 amsatirev Says: I’m so disillusioned and disappointed in Obama right now. Even Hillary voted “nay” against the breach of our civil liberties. And McCrazy may not be crazy after all in his decision to not vote at all.
I’d bet the ranch that if Hillary were the nominee rather than Obama that she’d have voted YES and Obama NO. He’s simply pandering to the right. It didn’t work for Kerry, Dukakis, or, really Bill Clinton because Perot took 20% of the 1992 vote… And it won’t work for Obama.
Not sure why someone seemingly so brilliant has decided to do such a stupid thing. So disappointing indeed.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:24 amMarquis De Pescara Says: I’m not a Bush fan but this isn’t ignorance, also Berlusconi speaks Spanish. This is just an attempt by you Anglos to divide us Latins. Hispanics and Italians are brothers. We’re Latins, you know the people that on 2 occasions rules over you Whites.
Yes, it is ignorance – both Bush AND you. I know, I was partly raised by people FROM Italy.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:25 amMarquis De Pescara Says: Liar! I went to Italy and they gave me respect for speaking Spanish, not English. They understood me better and I understood them. Italian and Spanish people are Brothers, we both come from Roma Mater.
Liar? What are you twelve?
They humored you – there’s a huge difference.
Oh god, I think this troll is ‘Santo’…
July 10th, 2008 at 10:27 ammisshusseinmolly Says: There’s an excellent chance that Silvio Berlusconi thinks so, too.
LOL… Indeed.
Yet the Neocons will never learn, never see that Bush has been destructive, and never care. Unfortunately, it’s going to take a very long time to heal these wounds. I hope we can.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:29 amsatirev Says: McCain will be triumphant in all of this as the campaign ensues. He will be viewed as a maverick and as a “hero” among Independents now regardless of his views on immunity.
Perhaps if this were a stand alone issue, but when amalgamated with all the other issues, I still think he comes out behind. Obama can counter claim to have not only shown up to do the job (rather than ignore the issue by hiding), but that he voted for the amendment to extract the telecom immunity clause.
I think Obama has been listening to the former Clinton advisors to have joined his team, and not considering that there’s a reason she didn’t win the nomination… Pandering to the right.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:37 amMarquis De Pescara Says:
Like a gnat in a stampede of elephants, this one should go unnoticed.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:39 amObama is still far better than McSame. I’m gravely disappointed in one issue with Obama, but millions with McCain. I’d like to see huge change, but perhaps ot will take smaller steps to get there. As a liberal Independent, I will vote for Obama, but I will watch him like a hawk and be the first to criticize him when he crosses the line, as I did with FISA. All the alternatives to this are unacceptable to me.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:41 amMarquis De Pescara Says
July 10th, 2008 at 10:37 am
This website is run by ignorant people.
__________________________________________________________
So leave if you don’t like it. Nobody is forcing you to post here.
Oh wait…in your case, your paycheck may depend on it.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:43 amAnguis in herba
July 10th, 2008 at 10:43 amEven more embarrasing than the fact that Bush using another Romance language, what really bothers me is that he is the epitomy of the person who learns 3 words of a foreign language and then thinks he is showing off his fluency.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:44 amAnyone know how many times must you flag a troll before it is deleted?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:44 amI’m surprised Bush didn’t greet him in pig latin.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:46 amWell, they all sound alike, right?
http://progressiveworldreview.com
July 10th, 2008 at 10:51 amMarquis De Pescara Says:
Exit Stage Left,
Portuguese, Spanish and Italians are all Latins. We understand each other and respect each other. You Anglo Leftists have tried to divide us in America. Bush did nothing wrong here. This shows the ignorance of Think Progress.
What does that Jihadi Faiz know about Latin culture? Nothing.
Amigo and Amico sound the same when speaking.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am
_______
Hey, Trajan! What brings you back here? Are you bored reading the ZERO comments at TPwatch?
July 10th, 2008 at 10:54 amMarquis De Pescara,
Sorry, I no speaky English good. Better we exchange in Spanish too?
Es facil a ver que eres Trajan puto. Eres mas macho que dos mujeres. Porque te gusta chupar la verga de Bush? Te gusta el sabor o que?
Vete a la chingada maricon.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:54 amsatirev Says: If he votes to violate the civil rights of everyone, how can this NOT be perhaps the MOST significant issue of the election?
I’ve never been very good with compromise, because I was raised by a father who was an absolutist. It’s something I’ve had to learn. I do expect that if we are to unite the country, there will have to be compromises. I agree with you that this should NOT have been one of them, and that Obama was dead wrong on this. If it comes to another election that is voting for the lesser of two evils, I will still vote for the lesser of two evils.
I also think that Obama is trying to get elected, and may end up, if he has a Democratic majority, doing the right thing, rather than continuing to pander. I don’t agree with this approach, but right how, I need to stay hopeful that with Obama we’ll at least get the first step toward universal healthcare, an end to the Iraq War, education reform, economic reform in terms of alternative energy “manhattan project”, and a focus on healing our country.
I do understand how you feel. It’s very disappointing. But Obama is still better than McCain when McCain really does = Bush III.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:56 amunbelievable Says:
——————————————————————————–
Anyone know how many times must you flag a troll before it is deleted?
No I don’t. But I will just keep flagging till it is gone.
I to am a little disappointed by Obama’s vote. But I think in the grand scheme of things he has to look forward to, this may be a shrewed decision on his part.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:59 amMarquis De Pescara Says: nada
July 10th, 2008 at 11:04 amTrajan,
I am not racist, I have a strong disgust for a POS who poses as Latin and is a disgrace to the human race.
Sure you hate Bush. That’s a good one. Did he spurn your advances? Work on the gag reflex little buddy.
Go home to your lonely circle jerk blog and your two buddies.
Como dijo, vete a la chingada.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:07 amMarquis De Pescara Says:
lawr1999,
I haven’t drailed anything. I’m exposing the ignorance of Think Progress when it comes to Latins.
I already posted on this.
http://www.thinkprogresswatch.com/ 2008/ 07/ 10/ racists-at-think-progress-ignorant-of-the-latin-languages/
your link doesn’t work.
*
thank you.
#
July 10th, 2008 at 11:08 amMarquis De Pescara Says
July 10th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Bush did nothing wrong here. This shows the ignorance of Think Progress. What does that Jihadi Faiz know about Latin culture? Nothing. Amigo and Amico sound the same when speaking.
____________________________________________________________
First, “amigo” and “amico” do not sound the same when speaking. The Spanish “amigo” is spoken with the accent on the second syllable, and the Italian “amico” is spoken with the accent on the first. If you were really as all-encompassing Latin as you say you are, you would know that. Even if Bush was trying to say “amico”, it would have been obvious that he only knew the word from reading, and had never heard it pronounced.
Second, Bush’s gaffe wasn’t so much that he spoke Spanish to an Italian, as he greeted Berlusconi in a manner that made no sense. When somebody you know enters the room, do you greet him by crying out “Friend! Friend!”? Bush was behaving like Jethro Bodine, as he often does. You may drone on and on about the appropriateness of speaking Spanish to Italians, but you have said nothing about this.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:12 amMy First thought was, “well, at least he didn’t use Pig-Latin.” Then I thought, since english is so hard for him, maybe he is in constant search of an “easier” language.
Finally, I thought, for the love of god, why can’t we make this miserable failure just go away?
July 10th, 2008 at 11:26 amRay Edmonds Says:
This isn’t a big deal. Spanish and Italian are very close languages.
I see that a little knowledge is dangerous for the culturally ignorant.
No doubt you go around saying Canadians are just like Americans, too.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:39 amMarquis/Trajan,
First, you are an idiot.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:40 amSecond, amico and amigo do not sound the same when speaking
Third, you are an idiot.
Fourth, Amico! Amico! (Friend! Friend!) is not an appropriate greeting in any language.
Fifth, you don’t greet a foreign language-speaking person in a language that is foreign to both of you. It’s poor etiquette.
Sixth, did I mention you are an idiot?
Whenever he visits Mexico, Trajan/Marquis secretly wishes he had studied Latin a little harder in school, so he can communicate good with them people.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:46 amBesides being the worst President in the history of mankind, George W. Bush has the same number of brain cells that God granted to a soap bubble.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:49 amDoes Twajie really think anyone was fooled for a second by Nicky or Roberto?
Ah, well, given his demonstrated powers of observation, or lack of then, I suppose it’s conceivable that he deluded himself that much.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:53 amAlso, could anyone please explain what kind of psychology would be required for someone to register “1500 accounts at ThinkProgress”?
I mean, don’t these people have anything productive to do?
July 10th, 2008 at 11:55 amI guess Trajan75IQ/Marquis and Bush would be a-ok with an Italian person greeting them with a sound Freund! Freund! or a guten morgen! because, you know, English is a Germanic language after all…
July 10th, 2008 at 11:57 amralph,
while he’s registering 1500
for tp.
we’re registering 1500
to vote.
*
i like that math.
:)
good luck.
#
July 10th, 2008 at 12:01 pmWell, Berlusconi and Bush aren’t so different at all. But, in Italy, everybody knows Silvio is a mafiosi, and aren’t ashamed to admit it, and so he’s being constantly being in legal problems. Berlusconi tries to run more than the exercise of the law, and reform the legal system, to be spared from the prosecutins. It has been so for all his mandates.
What I find different in both cases, is the feeling of “majesty” that the Americans have of their presidents. Almost all the rest of the world know their heads of state are humans, and thus, fallible. Probably a lot of people thinks that they’re respecting the institution of the Presidency, but really, letting a thug in that position is larger disrespect than impeaching him, or prosecuting him.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:13 pmOh, Jebus…pass me my Unknown American bag, someone, please???
July 10th, 2008 at 12:13 pmGod what a moron. When will this national disgrace disappear????? Please people, vote for brains, not bravado. Haven’t we been embarrassed enough?
July 10th, 2008 at 12:14 pmRay Edmonds Says:
This isn’t a big deal. Spanish and Italian are very close languages. Bush knows Spanish, so he probabaly used it because it’s easier for an Italian to understand than English. Seriously, there are other thing to attack Bush over, like his endless Iraq war and his oil connections.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:07 am Recommend (0) | Report Abuse
Arschloch. English and German are also closely related, isn’t?
July 10th, 2008 at 12:17 pmjabberjaw Says:
This is silly. Amigo (Sp.) and Amico (It.) are very similar sounding. And the greeting “Amico! Amico!” has appeared in literature. Jump on the Demolicans and Repubrocrats over FISA or something relevant, but not silly sh*t like this.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:28 am Recommend (0) | Report Abuse
So you’ve no problem if I think of you as a mexican? After all, both countries share a common border, A THING THAT DO NOT HAVE SPAIN AND ITALY. Or, try to speak to a French in Spanish, if you want to be completely ignored. And, believe me, French and Spanish have far more shared language structures than Italian and Spanish. Maybe Italian and Spanish sound very alike to the untrained (ignorant) ear, but they’re not so much. Thanks for displaying your ignorance about diplomacy and languages.
July 10th, 2008 at 12:36 pmA pure class act that old bush is.
July 10th, 2008 at 2:41 pmWord has it the G8 ministers recognizing that the Village Idiot is such an aficionado of Spanish that he uses it interchangeably no matter what the person’s nationality is, have for some reason nicknamed him “Tonto” to honor once and for all his foreign language skills.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:04 pmEverytime the Idiot-in-chief opens his mouth, he lets out his ignorance. I will be glad with that Pain in the Ass-in-chief in gone for good come January.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:54 pmBetter Bush was when he called over Canadian Prime Minister Harper by saying: “yo, Harper.” Classy.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:19 pmRetard.
July 11th, 2008 at 12:41 pm“Amico” sounds an awful lot like “amigo” when pronounced properly. The reporter probably misheard him. It seems to me that the reporter and a frightening number of my fellow commentators are looking for anything they can find to make Pres. Bush look like an idiot. Get a new hobby, people.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:04 pmJorgeMacD, it’s not hard to make President Bush like an idiot. The man was a cocaine addict and an alcoholic most of his life, he got out of the Air Force because of his daddy and ran every oil company he managed into the ground. He’s a complete failure…JorgeMacD, have you ever listened to the man speak? Get a clue.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:04 pmthis is a pretty dumb criticism. there’s not a single commentator among us who hasn’t made a similar mistake in the past week. All you bitter malcontents jumping on Bush for this are undermining all the real mistakes and tragedies of his presidency. This past week at the G8 meetings America pushed a new copyright act law that further circumvents privacy right. But who cares? The man made a slight linguistic mistake, lets harp on that! You people are idiots.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:12 pmIBTunion4obama, I never called him a genius. In fact, that’s all the more reason not to be ridiculous like this reporter and twist things around. There are plenty of legitimate instances of Pres. Bush misspeaking. This is just some kind of ludicrous feeding frenzy, as if you all feel incomplete if you haven’t had an opportunity at least once a day to call Pres. Bush stupid on the Internet.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:34 amOK, so Bush is a mere 5% of the way to full cosmopolitanism, while you people are about 10%. Is 10% really something to brag about? C’mon, how many American leftists over the age of, say, 50 have ever heard of Manchester United? Wouldn’t it be less than 5%? And how many American leftists of any age could say who won the last cricket World Cup? Wouldn’t it be less than .1%?
I bring up sports in particular because, for anyone who is paying attention, this is a notorious weak spot in the American leftist’s knowledge of the rest of the world. But it isn’t the only one. Most leftists I know get all their foreign news from domestic sources, with the possible exception of BBC. It’s pretty easy these days to read the Guardian online, but I don’t know of anyone who makes a practice of it.
You people have a long way to go.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:12 amGOD has put President Bush -in office and I’ll reveal another truth- GOD is NOT for Obama!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pmOBAMA’A PARTY STAND’S FOR EVILNESS!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 pmABORTION and GAY MARRIAGES ARE EVILNESS!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pmYeah-you won’t argue with this strong Christian woman!!~!-I’m Right(Righteous)!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:40 pmThe GREAT RIVAL=McCain WILL WIN!!~!WATCH ANMD SEE!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:41 pmOh -my bad-REVIVAL LOL!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 pmIf Obama does gwt elected everything is going to hell in a handbasket!!~- hnnnn..Could bring the Lord Sooner?-that would be good too!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:45 pmANYWAY-everything will work out to them that LOVE GOD-LOL!!~!GOT GOD?
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pmOh and when you misspell -JESUS-
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:24 pmDo you know HIS NAME IS HOLY?-Wouldn’t be for doing that -if I were you!!~!
So then -Satan and ALL EVIL =into THE LAKE OF FIRE-I would rather be with My Jesus-WHAT ABOUT YOU?
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pmChoose God-You Will never be SORRY!!~!
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:30 pmI sit here and read all of this people defending Democrats and republicans. The whole bunch of them are dishonest and in politics to further their own political agenda. We sit back and argue over who is right. None of them are right. Who cares that Bush said amigo. That is such a small stupid problem compared to the massive trouble we are in.
July 28th, 2008 at 12:50 pm