SYDNEY - Even for someone as gaffe-prone as US President George W. Bush, he was in rare form on Friday, confusing APEC with OPEC and transforming Australian troops into Austrians.
President Bush smiles alongside Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his meeting with leaders of ASEAN nations in Sydney, September 7, 2007. [Reuters] |
Bush's tongue started slipping almost as soon as he started talking at a business meeting on the eve of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Sydney.
"Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction," he told Prime Minister John Howard. "Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC forum."
As the audience of several hundred people erupted in laughter, Bush corrected himself and joked, "He invited me to the OPEC summit next year." Australia has never been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Later in his speech, Bush recounted how Howard had gone to visit "Austrian troops" last year in Iraq. There are, in fact, no Austrian troops there. But Australia has about 1,500 Australians military personnel in and around the country.
