# How Bush averted an escalation of the war in Georgia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 14, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678 "2008-11-14T05:49:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/1 "2008-11-14T05:49:45Z")
Exemplary diplomatic skills? strong commitment? his fine insight of Mr Putin’s character? No, en example of [how not to do things when you invade a conuntry](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,451426,00.html) > [@](#): > > With Russian tanks only 30 miles from Tbilisi on Aug. 12, Sarkozy told Putin that the world would not accept the overthrow of Georgia, Levitte said. > > “I am going to hang Saakashvili by the balls,” Putin replied. > > Sarkozy responded: “Hang him?” > > “Why not? The Americans hanged Saddam Hussein,” Putin said. > > Sarkozy replied, using the familiar “tu”: “Yes but do you want to end up like (President) Bush?” > > Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: “Ah, you have scored a point there.” ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/2 "2008-11-14T06:13:58Z")
That’s hilarious! Especially if you read the rest of the article where it says Saakashvili “laughed nervously” when hearing about it. “Hang him by the balls.” Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/3 "2008-11-14T09:49:53Z")
Nifty! Just goes to show how alike we all are, and how we react similarly to similar things. “Diplomacy by setting a bad example” Soon to be taught at a lecture hall near you. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/4 "2008-11-14T15:43:20Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Nifty! Just goes to show how alike we all are, and how we react similarly to similar things. > > “Diplomacy by setting a bad example” > > Soon to be taught at a lecture hall near you. I think this [Demotivator](http://despair.com/mis24x30prin.html) print from [despair.com](http://despair.com) is appropriate here. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/5 "2008-11-14T15:44:14Z")
“if you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning” I use it as a sig on another MB ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/6 "2008-11-14T15:58:41Z")
If this is true, then it shows just who is in charge of Russia, Medvedev is just a puppet president. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/7 "2008-11-14T16:12:34Z")
> [@](#): > > If this is true, then it shows just who is in charge of Russia, Medvedev is just a puppet president. Putin learned that lesson from Cheney. ---
**Author:** ![Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cornelius_Tuggerson)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/8 "2008-11-14T18:36:58Z")
Putin never made such a [statement](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7729147.stm). Although Saakashvili deserves that and then some. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bush-averted-an-escalation-of-the-war-in-georgia/472678/9 "2008-11-14T19:06:26Z")
> [@Cornelius\_Tuggerson](#): > > Putin never made such a [statement](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7729147.stm). Although Saakashvili deserves that and then some. No, Putin has denied making the statement. Big difference. And your comment in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=10081357#post10081357) thread shows where your biases lie: > [@Cornelius Tuggerson](#): > > I say its about time the georgians were put back in their place. Their geographical location precludes them from being a pro-western democracy, they are Russia’s buffer zone in case of a foreign invasion, and will continue to be just that as long as the oil and gas money keeps flowing.