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Narendra Modi
The Indian PM probably got carried away by his Madison Square Garden moment this week. During his address to an enthralled gathering of NRIs, he inadvertently referred to Mahatma Gandhi as ‘Mohanlal Karamchand Gandhi’ instead of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He had repeated the same mistake in Rajasthan last year.
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Pratibha Patil
President Patil’s artlessness during her tenure spawned tumblrs like ‘PratibhaPatilDoingThings’. One glaring instance came during a visit to Mexico in 2008, where she neglected to bow before the Indian flag at a ceremonial reception. A Mexican guard drew her attention to it and she walked back for a do-over.
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
David Cameron
Here’s a lesson for all world leaders: When a political crisis unfolds, tweeting a photo shouldn’t be your top priority. Earlier this year, as the standoff between Ukraine and Russia worsened, Cameron put out a picture of him on the phone with the American president to show that he was dealing with the situation. Bad call, prime minister!
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Silvio Berlusconi
The former Italian PM was practically a gaffe machine, doling out cringeworthy colour commentary about everything from being Jesus Christ to Barack Obama’s “tan”. But the pièce de résistance came in 2007 and 2008 when wiretap conversations revealed his discussions about his sexual life with other world leaders like Gordon Brown. In one transcript he lamented, “Last night I had a queue outside the door of the bedroom... There were 11 ... I only did eight because I could not do it anymore.”
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
George W Bush
There is probably a Bushism for every occasion. Let’s stick with the most famous one, which Dubya unleashed during his 2001 speech about the 9/11 attacks. “They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too.”
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Barack Obama & Nicolas Sarkozy
In 2011, Obama and the French president offered a tantalising glimpse into what a conversation between two powerful leaders might resemble if they kicked back after a long day with a glass of wine. Following a joint press conference, both leaders, who assumed the mics had been turned off, were caught gossiping about Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. “I can’t stand him. He’s a liar,” Sarkozy said. To which Obama replied, “You’re tired of him; what about me? I have to deal with him every day.”.
![Image article boday](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
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