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"By The Balls"
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan —
Charles Bremner reports on an exchange between Sarkozy and Putin: 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, Mr Levitte said.
"I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls," Mr Putin replied.
Mr Sarkozy responded: "Hang him?"
"Why not? The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein," said Mr Putin.
Mr Sarkozy replied, using the familiar "tu": "Yes but do you want to end up like (President) ...
Sarkozy Brings the Funny
Lawyers, Guns and Money —
The only deterrence that still matters: 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 ...
Sarkozy to Putin: ‘Do you want to end up like Bush?’
Think Progress —
The London Times’ Charles Bremner has identified one positive aspect of President Bush’s foreign policy legacy:
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 [Sarkozy’s chief diplomatic adviser, Jean-David] 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?” ...
Sarkozy Chides Putin On Russian Tough Talk: "You Want To End Up Like Bush?"
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... 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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World Leaders Congratulate Obama
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Sarkozy Chides Putin On Russian Tough Talk: "You Want To End Up Like Bush?"
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
... 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."
Keep reading
-or-
World Leaders Congratulate Obama
Read HuffPost's ...
"Hang Him By the Balls"
Hit & Run —
... 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." Full story from the (London) Times. I discussed the ...
Using Bush as a motivating tool
Political Animal —
USING BUSH AS A MOTIVATING TOOL.... And here I thought George W. Bush couldn't possibly be a positive, productive role model on the international stage. I stand corrected . 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 ...
Sarkozy Prevented Putin From “Ending Up Like Bush”
PoliGazette —
... Something very interesting reportedly happened this summer: according to the Times of London, French President Nicolas Sarkozy succeeded in deterring Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin from “hanging” Georgian President Mikail Saakashvili “by the balls” by asking “do you want to end up like Bush?” ...
George W. Bush, International Punch Line
Blah3 Feed —
When French President Sarkozy visited Vladimir Putin during the Georgia crisis to try to broker a cease fire, the soul of the man Bush once said he glimpsed came out in a way ol' George never would've guessed. This account comes courtesy of Sarkozy's chief diplomatic adviser and, no, he's not joking: ...
And the best quote of the day award goes to...
Daily Kos —
... Nicholas Sarkozy. Ouch: 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 Élysée Palace. . . . 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, ...
Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [55] -- "Bretton Woods II"? Not Quite.
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
... This is just too funny, on several levels. The Times (London) is reporting a story about French President Nicholas Sarkozy meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during the crisis in Georgia last summer (while President Bush was enjoying himself at the Olympics). Here is the conversation as reported: ...
The Rule of Law
The Democratic Daily —
... of Law. OK, it was actually "We're going to restore honor and integrity to the White House."]
No: the issue is one of the resonance of American compliance with law. We severely damaged the concept of international law when we invaded and occupied a country in a “war of aggression” that violated the very precepts of the Nuremberg Trials that WE had helped create. Ditto the Geneva Convention(s).
The proof of the pudding came in the recent report of Vladamir Putin’s conversation with President Nikolas Sarkozy of France: ...
Today in The Nation: Trickle-Down Equanimity
The Nation: Top Stories —
... a job for baseball players), but they patrol social mores like shepherding moons, keeping us all in our proper rings. As long as they're on TV a lot and the media magnify their every word and deed, our leaders inevitably take up four- or eight-year occupations of the mytho-religious space in our brains that links private behavior to public values. And there can be an almost scriptural smack of justice to the exposure of these titans' moral failures. As the Times of London famously told it: With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on August 12, Mr. Sarkozy told Mr. ...
