Those Crazy Europeans!

Hard on the heels of Silvio Berlusconi's unscientific polling of phone sex workers comes this bit of news about that total doofus Jacques Chirac. Granted, it's from two weeks ago, but quality lunacy like this will never stale:

When M Seillière, who is an English-educated steel baron, started a presentation to all 25 EU leaders, President Chirac interrupted to ask why he was speaking in English. M Seillière explained: “I’m going to speak in English because that is the language of business.”

Without saying another word, President Chirac, who lived in the US as a student and speaks fluent English, walked out, followed by his Foreign, Finance and Europe ministers, leaving the 24 other European leaders stunned. They returned only after M Seilière had finished speaking.

Better than that, though, was the diplomatic explanation for the snub:

Embarrassed French diplomats tried to explain away the walk-out, saying that their ministers all needed a toilet break at the same time.

And this!

When President Chirac had a one-to-one dinner last year with President Bush, he insisted on speaking his mother tongue the whole time, even though the US President could understand him only through an interpreter.

You know, when George Bush is the more polite person at a dinner for two, you know the other guy is being seriously rude.

Finally, Finnish chefs must be crushed:

President Chirac, who recently denounced British food as the worst in the world after Finnish...

Dude. That's over the line. What did Finland ever do to you?