George W. Bush, International Punch Line

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:

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.”

You've made us all proud, Georgie. Let's hope we never hear from you again.

PS. The fact that a major advisor to Sarkozy would tell this story on the record and in his own name only confirms the obvious: George Bush's new title is: His Irrelevancy.