Ethiopia’s Bonnie and Clyde embarrass themselves on the red carpet:
Next arrives
Ethiopian Presidentthe butcher of Addis Ababa Meles Zenawi, who clearly did something in the car to anger his wife because she glares at him, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Obama, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross her line of vision.
By Helene Cooper | New York Times
(Doug Mills/The New York Times President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama laughed while they waited for their guests to arrive.)
The Times’s Helene Cooper has an entertaining pool report on tonight’s dinner of world leaders at the Phipps Conservatory:
Well, there was no red carpet lining the walkway to the Phipps Conservatory for the leaders’ dinner tonight hosted by President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. But since the First Couple nonetheless spent almost two hours greeting each of their 60 or so guests as they arrived, one by one — or in the case of couples, two by two — and since your pooler’s dream job is actually to work for E Channel covering the Academy Awards Red Carpet, consider this your Red Carpet report.
At 6:15 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Obama stepped out of the Phipps Conservatory, underneath an awning to greet their first guests. Mr. Obama in a dark blue suit, Mrs. Obama in a taupe, pink and green patterned cocktail dress with straps. Pink patent leather two-inch heels. Hair pulled back in a full, bouffant faux ponytail. Long pearl necklace, pearl earrings. No stockings.
Mr. Obama: “Where’d my First Lady go?”
Mrs. Obama: “Right here,” stepping beside him, as it started to drizzle.
Mr. Obama pokes fun at the pool, whispering something to Reggie Love and Mrs. Obama, then looking at pool and saying: “We’re talking about how you guys are all waiting to write something down.”
First to arrive is an Allegheny County official who’s name your pooler didn’t get. (There’ll be a lot of that to come).
Then the mayor of Pittsburgh, Luke Ravenstahl and his wife.
Mr. Obama: “Hey Luke, sorry about those Steelers, man.”
Mr. Ravenstahl: “So am I.”
There’s a pause for a while between arrivals, and the First Couple turns to the pool for entertainment.
Mrs. Obama: “You guys are so quiet. Somebody should sing.”
Mr. Obama: “We should have music. Where’s the music?”
Then, “I’m teasing, Emmett, don’t freak out,” looking back at, presumably, the first Music Supplier.
Then, to Mrs. Obama: “No, don’t stress these guys out.”
Long interval, then more arrivals, the director general of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, the chairman of the Financial Stability Board, Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Doyle.
Mr. Obama is teasing Mrs. Obama. “You’re standing on the wrong side of me.” She moves to his other side. He says, “I’m just teasing.” She stares straight ahead with a smile.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives with his wife. They get a warm welcome from both Obamas, the warmest so far. There’s a lot of familiarity. Hugs, chats about daughters.
Next is Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, stag. He gets familiarity, but not so much warmth.
Robert Zoellick, World Bank president, in a royal blue suit.
Ooh, next is South African President Jacob Zuma! Which wife did he bring? The youngest of course, Nompumelelo Ntuli, who puts her arm around Mrs. Obama and holds her hand during the photo op. Mrs. Obama tells Mr. Zuma that she expects him to solve the global economic mess “by Friday.”
Next arrives Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi, who clearly did something in the car to anger his wife because she glares at him, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Obama, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross her line of vision.
The Obamas both look slightly taken aback by her. Wonder what happened in the car? The Ethiopian First Couple are quickly dispatched inside.
Thankfully, Angela Merkel of Germany, arriving stag, comes down the non-red carpet next, exuding warmth, familiarity, and chattiness. She’s wearing a pantsuit.
It’s 7:07, the Obamas have been greeting for almost an hour.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon gets cordiality.
Australian head Kevin Rudd gets familiarity and warmth, and brings with him his wife, who brings with her the first cleavage of the evening, in a black suit with low low-cut top. Five-inch stilettos. “Kevin, you finally brought your better half,” says Mr. Obama.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is next, with his wife, Ermine, wearing the first hijab of the evening.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mrs. Brown get hugs, kisses, more hugs, more kisses, handholding, you name it. Mrs. Brown holds Mr. Obama’s hand during the photo op. She’s the first woman to bring a handbag, a really cute black patent leather number with gold chain strap.
Prince Saud al Faisal of Saudi Arabia arrives stag.
President of Korea gets a mention because his wife is fabulous in a long dress that comes dangerously close to formal when everyone else is in cocktail attire.
Mr. Obama greets the Korean interpreter, then says to Mrs. Obama: “he’s the best-dressed interpreter.”
It’s 7:15 and here comes a fashion plate walking down the non-red carpet. It’s Argentine President Cristina Kirchner, resplendent in lavender silk suit with matching shoes and hair.
The Indonesian leader is next. Mr. Obama says “Selamat Malam.” Hah! Didn’t know your pooler could speak Indonesian, huh? The Indonesian First Lady is in a long silk tunic with a floor-length under skirt.
7:20 — Carla Bruni!!!!
Carla Bruni Sarkozy and Nicholas Sarkozy arrive. Sarko is wearing a suit. Carla Bruni is in a stunning black silk sheath dress, stops just below the knee. She’s holding a green wool scarf, and is wearing Christian Louboutins black evening shoes.
Mr. Obama kisses her four times. “I’m not going to get a chance to see you much.”
Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Sarkozy chat warmly. A lot of touching there too.
Hu Jintao comes stag.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell appears not to know that these days people kiss on both cheeks, not one, withdrawing from Mrs. Obama as she is leaning in to kiss his other cheek, so he has to come back in as she’s pulling back. Sigh.
Then he tells Mrs. Obama that Mr. Obama “inspired me when he made fun of me over cheesesteaks so I decided to lose weight.”
Mr. Obama says, “He just lost like 20 pounds.”
Russian President Dimitri Medvedev is next, with his wife, who is in an ultra bright peach cocktail suit with frills around the collar with matching earrings and taupe pumps.
Mr. Obama says to Mr. Medvedev: “Dimitri, come, we don’t have enough pictures together.”
Mrs. Obama tells Mr. Medvedev to “figure it out tonight.”
Then it’s Brazilian President Lula da Silva, with his wife, and, finally, at 7:50 p.m., Japan’s new Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, and his wife, Miyuki, back from Venus. She is in an elegant black suit with a bubble skirt and carries a burgundy shawl.
Mr. Obama hugs her.
“I’m sorry we were late,” she says.
20 thoughts on “Ethiopia’s tyrant and wife fight in Pittsburgh”
well, these criminals (meles and Azeb) wont deserve international stage of this kind
so what new york times,
at least he makes it to the G20 despite of all the oppositions
#2 Hagos,
Your Woyane leader is there not as honer of guest, but as a poor servant. Just though you know, G-20 does not include the servants. The servant appears at the end of the G-20 sumbit to collect leftover feed.
ሃጎስ አንተ ልክ እንደስምህ የትግርኛው ሓጎስ ነህ
What interesting couples.
“Next arrives Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi, who clearly did something in the car to anger his wife because she glares at him, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Obama, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross her line of vision.
The Obamas both look slightly taken aback by her. Wonder what happened in the car? The Ethiopian First Couple are quickly dispatched inside.”
No class. No character. Individuals without class and character do not even deserve to run a functional family, let alone a big country like Ethiopia.
Meles is there to beg. He knows his trade very well. He keeps his head down all the time so that other leaders would throw crumbs in his direction. I beleive he gets invited to the G20 summit in order to remind the leaders that every thing is not dire at all. After all, people are surviving in a country like ethiopia. As long as meles is at the helm, ethiopia will never be self sufficient.
Talk about low class.
Did anyone noticed this goon’s beer gut? This is the result of my people’s netch teff and that flavorful butter from Bekoji. You know what is next for him? After beer gut (Borch), is hypertension and diabetes II. And there that is blood, human blood, more than 190 of innocent blood callously shed in the streets of Addis crying out for justice to the heavens. He should know that those who are now in his jail also spilled innocent human blood in the 70’s. Didn’t they feel invincible during their hey days? Ahmed Grangn thought he had dealt the one and final blow to that country and its children. But sooner or later after causing so much suffering and destruction, he met his bitter end. Because he spilled so much innocent human blood. Pinochet, Batista, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mussolini and many, many others had answered for the innocent human blood they ruthlessly shed. This one also will have a day in the people’s court in our lifetime or in the hands of this hot-blooded witch he is going to bed with now. It is a shame to see these two hoodlums given the undeserved ‘honor’ to represent these proud people called Ethiopians. Downright shame!!!! Well the sun will shine…again… across blue and spotless sky.
The west is doing all it can to shore up the image if this midget and his Tela Bet wife. Many Ethiopians admire this idiot because the west ‘admires’ him. Guys, that is how they get to choose your leader for you.
“Next arrives Ethiopian President Meles Zenawi, who clearly did something in the car to anger his wife because she glares at him, Mr. Obama, Mrs. Obama, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross her line of vision. The Obamas both look slightly taken aback by her. Wonder what happened in the car? The Ethiopian First Couple are quickly dispatched inside.”
Bravo Azeb. The world most powerful leaders from the white house run away from you fearing their own life thinking a wild and angry animal would savagely bite them. You forced them to run from you. Even the well trained body guard didn’t protect them. Thank you for showing them and the world your true color giving the impression how you and your ugly husband could be bad to the Ethiopian people.
Hahaha. The dedebit family behaviour is following them to USA. Yes, the world can easily see from their behaviour how they could be against the Ethiopian people when they behave that way in foreign country where much respected people are around. Yes, these are individuals we Ethiopian are facing for many years.
Do you expect something respectful from them? That is impossible. It is not in their nature. Once a dong is always a dog. They are the dog family.
When 99.99% Ethiopians went to school to improve their own life and the life of the Ethiopians, meles went to the barren Tigry mountain and Sudan desert to kill them and destroy the country they were trying to build. Mr and Mrs Obama are from Harvard university which is the best learning place on earth. While Mr. Meles and Mrs Azeb (His wife) are from mountains and deserts learning their skills from savage wild animals to kill another animals which is their nature but the Meles’s are unnaturally killing innocent people.
The different between Obamas and others leader on one side and the meles is huge like between God and devil. I’m sure Mele’s and his wife are the only leaders in the meeting hated by their own people deeply, have many bloods in their hand, illegally holding power, stinking with corruption and with very very bad habits and crimes affecting the nation as worst as unable to feed her self and the citizens unable to live in their own nation in peace.
As many are saying, she was a street child in Humera and joined TPLF to kill Ethiopians and became the wife of the smallest and ugliest man who is the biggest killer and Ethiopian hater, meles. Ask about her childhood, her family and the likes. You will be very surprised how we Ethiopians are too weak accepting this kind satanic person in our palace for 20 years.
I think he must had a prostate of some sort taken out recently , the way the dictator walks .By the way his wife is bilingual, but it is not French & English
Talk about low class
What a backward couple, by the way he looks seek and she a cheap prostitute from mekele.Begar remains begar eventhough he has the title of PM.
It’s a disappointment that it’s still considered a previllage and superiority, in the psyche of most African brothers, including our immediate brothers, Ethiopians to be seen in the company of the leaders of the leaders of the “World”.
The G8, who usually call themselves as the “world” leaders invite some tyrant brutal dictators amongst themselves as long as their puppet keeps fulfilling the interest of the USA/UK at the expense of the poor Ethiopian people whom he was supposed to fight for their interest.
This G8 leaders (Italy, Germany, UK, France, USA, Canada, Japan and Russia) of which the the first four were the main evils who met in the early 1880’s in Berlin to agree in the scramble of Africa resulting in more greed that followed by devastating war of empires of WW1 and WW2). USA is the current day empire in decline and Japan is another European equivalent of a brutal empire in Asia and Russia was another empire which crumbled).
So, who can, soberly, want to be proud of being seen in the company of these BRUTE-1, BRUTE-2…..& BRUTE-8, let alone be a friend?
Only, an equally brutal tyrant would want to be associated with them.
It reminds me of a verse in the bible (James 4:4) that goes as follows……
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
I would rather be a friend of God than become an enemy of God by befriending those evils who call themselves the “WORLD” leaders.
I, as an Eritrean, live in this world and those arrogant who call themselves “leaders of the world” don’t lead me and I haven’t given them the authority to speak on my behalf.
God bless you all.
Meles, come to the US delegating African dictators is not a surprise and wondering when this bunch of self-serving brutals go away and Africans get the chance to speak their mind and change the contenient from prison into unified black voice.
Last time an Ethiopian leader took center stage on the international scene was over 30 odd years ago when the emperor was held high both in Africa and beyond as a respectable statesman but only to disgrace himself by running away in the face of a colonial invasion.
Meles ain’t much different as he seems to stand tall among most certainly in Africa and arguably in many high profile world stages. The problem with him is that he took the betrayal of one’s own people a bit to the extreme going as far as selling out a whole province and even getting his poor fellow rebels killed just to make someone else’s dream a real.
Oh well we are a nation of bandas and traitors. We just can’t admit it.
Bravo Azeb!!!! Bravo immebet!!! Bravo to you!!! You hit it right on the nose. These two are the bottom of the human scum. This is an international event and gathering of unmatched proportion. Even if he had said something vexing to her just before they arrived, she should have swallowed her anger and show smile and then mingle with the crowd in a civilized way. These two are what my proud and cultured people call ‘Kletaams’. Nothing less and nothing more. I am embarrassed, ashamed and helpless to be categorized as the same people with these two human blood suckers!!! But this is a stern warning from the witch to the goon from Adwa. One more wrong move he may not wake up to see the daylight again. Kletaams!!!!Kletaams!!!!Keletaams!!! They will burn in hell after facing judgment from the Good Lord!!!!
Well said Eritrean brother. I coudn’t agree with you more. There will come a day when we will all be free like the Europeans but it will take a lot of hard work and sacrifice from us. Not somebody else.
Senayit, yene konjo. tell him baby!