It is neither appropriate nor polite to tell someone that he/she is ugly. Similarly, it is equally offensive to tell someone that he/she is gorgeous, even if the intent is complimentary. So, it was absolutely shocking, no other word to describe it, shocking, to hear Mr. Zardari tell Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate that she is gorgeous, oooops!
Dude, even I know this is inappropriate!!!
I wish, I really do that our leaders go through training before they embark on international trips because if we are interested in being taken seriously, then we must know how to speak, and when we do speak, we should also know what to say, and more importantly, what not to say. With very very few exceptions, professional women (read working women) don't appreciate comments about their looks or their attire, and there is no reason to make personal comments for an official towards another official. A statment like this is just stupid and idiotic.
It reminded me of another star from Pakistan, Gillani, who while visiting CFR here in the U.S. kept on saying Pakistan Army is the best in the world, without providing any evidence to support his statement. We thought he was dumb, but after Zardari's gaff, they are tied at 1 each.
Bilal Qureshi