Sarkozy Chides Putin On Russian Tough Talk: "You Want To End Up Like Bush?"

Nicolas Sarkozy saved the President of Georgia from being hanged "by the balls" -- a threat made last summer by Vladimir Putin, according to an account that emerged yesterday from the Elysee Palace.

The Russian Prime Minister had revealed his plans for disposing of Mr Saakashvili when Mr Sarkozy was in Moscow in August to broker a ceasefire in Georgia.

Jean-David Levitte, Mr Sarkozy's chief diplomatic adviser, reported the exchange in a news magazine before an EU-Russia summit today. The meeting will be chaired by the French leader and President Medvedev.

With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr Sarkozy told Mr Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia's Government. According to Mr Levitte, the Russian seemed unconcerned by international reaction. "I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls," Mr Putin declared.

Mr Sarkozy thought he had misheard. "Hang him?" -- he asked. "Why not?" Mr Putin replied. "The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein."

Mr Sarkozy, using the familiar tu, tried to reason with him: "Yes but do you want to end up like [President] Bush?" Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: "Ah -- you have scored a point there."

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Comments

[LMurphy418]

I'm smirking and shaking my head. The image of America starts with our choice in President. I have faith that Obama can overcome our current image problems but I believe Bush's mark on American history will be a comic one that will live longer than he.

[Sybil Lincoln]

Let us fervently hope so. The great danger for us now is "Obama fatigue" in four or eight years and the election of another W-type empty shell.

[gfs5541]

There are times that Nicolas Sarkozy acts and is an jerk. Then he starts acting like he has a brain. Mon Dieu! I loves the french!

[Bitsko]

And the French do not much loves them some Sarkozy.

[dutch163]

HA!
love it
the way NOT to behave~!

[SPQR1052]

President Sarkozy is also a "ami" of Obama so the Russian president better be careful!
Vie la Francais!

[Durango]

Oh, so the Bush Presidency has done SOME good!

[NationalTreasure]

lol

what a disgrace Bush has become that he is the butt of jokes by the likes of Putin

how much lower can the neo-con's and Bushies fall -- their political acumen can not get more discredited

[Dewtrell]

I was in Paris last year, around this time, when Sarkozy came to the U.S. and addressed Congress, and I was impressed with him. He's a new leader France needed, much like we need Obama. Sarko is pro-American but he will also stand his ground because he wants France, and all of the EU to succeed. He knows France has lost it's luster and he wants them to be a world leader, so not only is he diplomatic but pragmatic. And I have to say, his personal life is a great read.

[Paralogos]

Sarkozy's domestic policies, however, are pretty similar to Bush - tax and regulatory policies that are blatantly restructured to favor his financial backers, and empty promises for the rest of France. For example, one of his best friends is the main shareholder for the main French private television channel, TF1. So he decided earlier this year to forbid the public TV channels to sell advertising. This will make it impossible for them to maintain the quality of programming, but that doesn't matter. The important thing is that TF1 and its sister stations will have the monopoly on TV advertising, which will drastically increase their revenues.

[Atcha]

A French rightwinger is still a leftie in comparison with an American Liberal, therefore equating Sarkozy's policies with Bush doesn't make any sense...he's just raised taxes on capital for a start

[Hillblogger]

Spot on!

[thismachinekillsfascists]

Great, America, once known as "land of the free, home of the brave"

Now known as "America, Land of the cruel, home of the aggressive"

THAT will be the Bush legacy.

[LMurphy418]

Spot On!

[foxbat]

Wow! Putin at a loss for words ... now that says something. So much for that warm coziness that Bush was starting to have for the French when Sarkozy won his election.

[stepintothelight]

I am very curious to see how our relationship develops in the future with France. I am 50/50 on Sarkozy but I must admit I appreciate his frankness (pun intended) in presenting the hard core reality to his political equals. He has been able to cooperate with our current administration while acknowledging their levels of idiocy.

[Cyano]

"...frankness..."

Good one!

[StuartJoshua]

Not only is bush now the international yardstick by which incompetence and idiocy are measured; he is also an international laughingstock. we the American people are no longer either one of the above.

[neuron]

Late Night will have fun with this one!

[Yermammy]

I love this new insult word! "man, you really 'Bushed' that up!" "ow, I "Bushed up" my thumb with the hammer!" "You call that sex? Man that was "Bushed"!" My new cuss word! :)

[NoElephants]

Hey guys - I realize that military and defense topics are not a strong point of bleeding heart libs, but even Thom Hartman himself speaks of how this whole mess was entirely Georgia's fault, and that we were drum beat into thinking Russia was some how to blame.....

[AmbivalentGuy]

My heart ain't bleedin',
I know of Georgia's transgressions,

BUT this is still funny -
W the international example of what not to do.

[cheforacle]

Many people would not say "entirely". What many observers have said is that Georgia deserves blame for going in to S. Ossetia but Russia also deserves blame for its "disproportionate" response. Us "bleeding hear libs" realize things are not always so black and white but nuanced. I always believed McCain's "We are all Georgians" was ridiculous and oversimplified a more complex situation. I reject this notion that military topics are not our strong point. Clinton did a much better job overseeing the war in Kosovo than Bush did in either Afghanistan or Iraq. The only reason that Republicans claim to be superior on national security is that they talk tough as McCain did back in August.

[Kiba]

Yep, their supposed expertise is based on jingoism, not an understanding of events or an intelligent approach to situations.

[dutch163]

and what was the role of the McCain lobbyist in allowing Georgia to think they could do that?

[Kiba]

Well, this liberal knew Saakashvili sparked the incident by sending troops into S. Ossetia on the day it happened. I didn't have to be told months later.

In fact, I got into an argument with a conservative who didn't know what was going on and thought Russia attacked Georgia unprovoked. And who didn't understand the significance of Western support for Kosovo independence to the geopolitical situation in S. Ossetia and Abkhazia.

[bigkay]

Someone better give Sen. Biden a briefing on what really happened in Georgia. He was blabbing on and on about going to Georgia to support Saakashvili.
Putin is no joke , he is intelligent and tough .Bush the college cheerleader wimp is the laughingstock of the world.

[JMBrodie]

I think Obama actually said something to that effect when it happened. Good point.

[SheriChardonnay]

lmao u gottak like sarkozy sometimes! lol