The Bush Legacy?

"I am going to hang Saakashvili [President of Georgia ] by the balls," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared.

French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy thought he had misheard. "Hang him?" he asked.

Mr Putin replied: "Why not? 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 (US President George W.) Bush?"

Mr Putin was briefly lost for words, then said: "Ah - you have scored a point there."

Vladimir Putin threat to hang Georgia leader 'by balls'