His behavior during the so-called Chappaquiddick incident he waited hours before reporting his accident to police provided the first of many cracks in the Kennedys' public image.
VOA: standard.2009.08.26
While the incident could damage Berlusconi's image abroad, Foot doubted it would affect his popularity in Italy.
That said, he has been on much better behavior since arriving in L.A. Had he continued to rehabilitate his image and not allowed himself to be involved with such an ugly incident, he at least stood a chance to salvage some additional earnings through product endorsements.