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Washington: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi toasted President George W. Bush with pieces of a podium on Monday night while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was dubbed a "prima donna" during translation in a Columbus Day official dinner at the White House.
In his haste to honour Bush, Berlusconi accidentally bumped the podium from which he was speaking in the crowded dining room. It fell apart, leaving the grinning Italian to advance on the president with just its top and attached microphones. The crowd of prominent Americans, Italians, and Italian-Americans burst into appreciative laughter and applause.
"I'm 100 per cent confident that we'll be friends forever," Berlusconi said.
Earlier, Bush singled out Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel A. Alito Jr as the first Italian-Americans to hold their positions. Bush also gave Democratic congressional leader Pelosi, an Italian-American, a nod for being the first woman Speaker, which was translated into Italian as "prima donna". She chuckled, as did the audience.
The dinner capped a day of meetings with Berlusconi, during which Bush announced his administration will work to implement measures to help banks gain access to capital, strengthen the financial system and unfreeze credit markets.
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