JAKARTA, Indonesia - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell donned a hard hat and tucked a hammer in his belt Friday, performing a version of the Village People's hit "YMCA" at the conclusion of Asia's largest security meeting.
Tradition dictates that the meeting wrap up with a night of song and dance, provided by the diplomats themselves.
In 1997 Madeleine Albright, then secretary of state, bowled over the ministers when she performed a musical skit dressed as Evita Peron.
On Friday, Powell danced alongside five other U.S. officials sporting costumes that included an Indian headdress.
The group blasted out a version of the 1970s disco classic, to the delight of foreign ministers from across the Asia-Pacific and Europe.
"President Bush, he said to me: 'Colin, I need you to run the Department of State. We are between a rock and a hard place," Powell and his colleagues sang to the tune of the disco classic.
The after-dinner show is an annual highlight of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a time for ministers to loosen up after discussing security issues.
The event is closed to the press, but reporters regularly go out of their way to get the scoop.
The Russian delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, sang a version of the Beatles "Yellow Submarine" as a woman waving a Russian flag ran around the dinner tables.
Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh read a poem before his delegation burst into a song.
"I'm not worried — but the audience should be," Singh said before attending the gala dinner.
Article
Full Version: Powell sings 'YMCA' at Asian security meet
I'm glad my tax dollars could pay for this important trip! 
i was dared to do the 'YMCA' on my friends letter box. in front of the whole street at 4:00pm (rush hour) i was supposed to get $10. never did get my money. not to happy either, i generally do not purposley make a fool of myself if i am not getting paid for it. 
Bet Powell Loved every minute! 
| QUOTE |
| Bet Powell Loved every minute! |
as did the spectators
| QUOTE |
| i was dared to do the 'YMCA' on my friends letter box. in front of the whole street at 4:00pm (rush hour) i was supposed to get $10. never did get my money. not to happy either, i generally do not purposley make a fool of myself if i am not getting paid for it. |
I bet your friend is still laughing ....I know I am .....
Love it , wish I had seen it.
Saw it on the news, no rhythm.
I can't imagine what it would be like to have every move I made under scrutiny...It sounds like everybody had a good time, so what the heck...
Obviously another very important event that the american taxpayers had to foot the bill for but if he had fun why not.
I would pay to see that, why wasnt there any news crews there.
| QUOTE (Cradle of Fish @ Jul 5 2004, 11:30 AM) |
| I would pay to see that, why wasnt there any news crews there. |
There was, I saw it on the news and he had no rythm, like I said.
| QUOTE (joc @ Jul 4 2004, 07:07 AM) |
| I bet your friend is still laughing ....I know I am ..... |
probably. the people on his street probably think i am crazy.
we found an old pram at the tip once and we were using it to race down the street. i nearly got run over by a 4wd. he he such fun. and then i danced on the letter box and the lady in the 4wd went past again.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.