The wit and wisdom of Silvio Berlusconi

THE ITALIAN Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has become better known for his off-the-cuff comments than for his political acumen. Here is a selection of his most controversial quips:

ON THOSE LEFT HOMELESS BY THE ABRUZZO EARTHQUAKE: "Of course their current lodgings are a bit temporary but they should see it like a weekend of camping."
 
ON CHINESE AGRICULTURE: "Read The Black Book of Communism and you will discover that in the China of Mao, they did not eat children, but had them boiled to fertilise the fields."
 
ON LEFT-WING VOTERS: "I trust the intelligence of the Italian people too much to think that there are so many pricks around who would vote against their own best interests."
 
ON HIMSELF: "I am the Jesus Christ of politics. I am a patient victim, I put up with everyone, I sacrifice myself for everyone."
 
ON GERMAN MEP MARTIN SCHULZ: "I know that in Italy there is a man producing a film on Nazi concentration camps - I shall put you forward for the role of Kapo - you would be perfect."
 
ON THE GERMAN WORK ETHIC: "In Italy I am almost seen as German for my workaholism. Also I am from Milan, the city where people work the hardest. Work, work, work - I am almost German."
 
ON ITALY: "Italy is now a great country to invest in... today we have fewer communists and those who are still there deny having been one. Another reason to invest in Italy is that we have beautiful secretaries... superb girls."

ON MUSSOLINI: "Mussolini never killed anyone. Mussolini used to send people on vacation in internal exile."
 
ON THE POST-9/11 WORLD: "The West will continue to conquer peoples, even if it means a confrontation with another civilisation, Islam, firmly entrenched where it was 1,400 years ago."

ON THE BARACK OBAMA: "I'm paler because it's been so long since I went sunbathing. He's more handsome, younger and taller."
 
ON INCREASING TROOP NUMBERS TO COUNTER CRIME: "We could not field a big enough force to avoid this risk [of rape]. We would need as many soldiers as beautiful women and I don't think that would be possible, because our women are so beautiful."
 
TO MARA CARFAGNA, WHO WOULD LATER BECOME THE MINISTER FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES: "I'd go anywhere with you, even to a desert island. If I weren't already married, I would marry you straight away." ·