WE ALL MAKE mistakes – but some make them more publicly than others. While some people make genuine gaffes, there is always the handful who think they are being clever at the time.

Here’s to you Mary, Michéal et al – may you continue to entertain us long into 2012…

Micheál Martin puts on a ‘Chinese’ accent at the Dublin Web Summit… at least we think it was an attempt at a Chinese accent:

(via oceanclub2/Youtube.com)

Bertie Ahern fobs off a protestor (Joan Collins, later elected a TD) on his last day at the Dáil as someone trying to “get herself on TV”:

(via PeopleBeforeProfitTV/RTÉ/Youtube.com)

Barack Obama’s car ‘The Beast’ gets stuck at the US Embassy gate:

(via RTÉ/Youtube.com)

It is revealed that someone voted for Michael Healy Rae 3,636 times from inside Leinster House when he was on TV show Celebrities Go Wild in October 2007. Healy Rae tells TheJournal.ie that he didn’t know anything about it: “Unless I am after mastering bi-location everyone knows where I was.”

(Image: Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland)

British PM David Cameron’s “good news for sheilas everywhere” comment – complete with Australian accent. (Again, what we presume was an attempt at an Australian accent). ABC News in Australia captured it on camera for posterity – watch it here.

Sarah Palin seemed more than a little confused on the part American patriot Paul Revere played in the American Revolution:

(via thinkprogress5/Youtube.com)

We don’t want to pick on a kid but, seriously, could you imagine a Billy Barry kid losing it like this if they were disappointed in a talent competition? Still… poor Rachel Crow – this was her reaction to being eliminated on the American version of The X Factor:

(via XFactorXXXX/Youtube.com)

We think Michael O’Leary was only joking when he said Ryanair was considering charging people for on-board toilets. But actor Gérard Depardieu – on an Air France flight headed for Dublin – was clearly already making DIY plans when he peed into a bottle in front of passengers. Not all of it made it into the bottle. Ugh.

At least there were no pictures of it. US Congressman Anthony Weiner lived up to his name by posting images of himself in his underwear on Twitter. He first said his account was hacked but then admitted he had posted it but had meant to put it in a DM.

But back to Michael O’Leary. Scarlet for him. If only he did us the courtesy of looking even a little bit embarrassed:

(Image: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)

Mary Mitchell O’Connor had one of those difficult first days at the office:

(via RTÉ/Youtube.com)

In case you can’t remember as far back as General Election… John Dillon didn’t win.

(via killuragh1/Youtube.com)

Speaking of election songs, this COULD be cringetastic but we think independent candidate Mannix Flynn has the goods to just about carry off this rap. Honorary mention to Fine Gael’s Liam Twomey and his campaign team for this ‘rap’.

(via StephenORegan/Youtube.com)

But, hey, even the President of the United States can make a mistake. After carrying off his visit to Ireland so well the day before and not even dripping Guinness on his shirt, Barack Obama had a bit of an awkward moment in toasting Queen Elizabeth II. One is not amused when one speaks over one’s national anthem.

Read: The worst gaffes of 2011>

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