Open Mouth, Stick in Foot: Obama Insults Sarkozy at G-20 Summit, French Are Not Amused
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on November 4, 2011
France's Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy and US Pres. Barack Obama at G-20 Summit - Obama gaffed with an insult about Sarkozy's looks
Geez, this slam against Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy’s looks while congratulating him on his newborn baby girl Guilia sounds more like something that VP Joe Biden, the official White House Gaffemeister, would stupidly say rather than the “O Mighty Gifted Silver Tongued One.”
It’s not the first time Barry has insulted Nicky, so just munch on some popcorn and be stunned at the latest Obama Blunder.
So, Barack, how ugly IS he?
Reported by Washington Times, Obama’s Sarkozy remark offends French:
CANNES, France — President Obama came, he saw, he insulted.
“Obama insults Sarkozy,” blared the headline on one French website, taking umbrage at Mr. Obama’s wayward remark at the G-20 summit here about the physical appearance of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Mr. Obama thought he was making a gentle joke about Mr. Sarkozy, host of the summit, when he congratulated Mr. Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni on the birth of their baby daughter on Oct. 19. Instead, Mr. Obama caused a minor international incident.
“I want to make mention that this is our first meeting since the arrival of the newest Sarkozy, and so I want to congratulate Nicolas and Carla on the birth of Giulia,” Mr. Obama told reporters shortly after his arrival at the G-20, with Mr. Sarkozy at his side. “And I informed Nicolas on the way in that I am confident that Giulia inherited her mother’s looks rather than her father’s, which I think is an excellent thing.”
He added, “And so now we share one of the greatest challenges and blessings of life, and that is being fathers to our daughters.”
Mr. Sarkozy, who is said to be very conscious about his looks, did not appear greatly amused by the comment, and some observers who attended the meeting said Mr. Obama’s remark fell flat.
The French president, who has three sons from two previous marriages, later told reporters, “You see the great influence of Barack Obama. It’s been four years now he tells me to be a father of girls is fantastic, he has two. So I listened and followed his example.”
But Mr. Obama’s remarks, intended as a compliment for the French president’s glamorous wife, ended up in the eyes of some Frenchmen as tagging their leader as an ugly man. France took notice.
“The U.S. President’s picnic on the ‘physical’ of his French counterpart is only the latest episode of reports [which are] rather cool at best, at worst frankly tense,” said L’Observateur newspaper, which called the two leaders “the best enemies.”
However, it could have been worse.
Obama could have also blocked Sarkozy’s face like he did to Tsakhia Elbegdorj, the president of Mongolia, in this United Nations photo taken in September:
Pres. Barack Obama waving and blocking Tsakhia Elbegdorj's face in this United Nations group photo... the man is the president of Mongolia
About the author
Comments