"He's young, handsome and suntanned."
Nothing wrong with this statement, unless you're describing the first African-American President of the United States less than two days after his historic election. When critics blasted the comment, made during a meeting with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, as racist, Berlusconi responded by telling reporters: "God save us from imbeciles." As for Obama's predecessor, Berlusconi had this to say about George W. Bush, whom he toasted during a farewell dinner at the White House: "I'm 100% confident that we'll be friends forever."