Excerpts: Georgia's Saakashvili

Excerpts: Georgia's Saakashvili

On George W. Bush:
"On day one [of the war] when he said the Russians were using disproportionate force…that emboldened the Russians. The very moment he gave the public order to move the Sixth Fleet was key. Within 20 minutes, Putin had disappeared from TV screens. George Bush contributed to saving Georgian democracy. A street named after him will always be in Tbilisi for that reason."

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On Putin:
"Putin wants to hang me by the balls and wants to replace me. The biggest response I can have is to organize a smooth transition of power not controlled by the Russians. That would show the Russians they didn't succeed and destroy Georgian democracy. It would be very bad news for them. It would tell the neighbors -- the people and not just the leaders -- that Putin is no longer the main street bully in the neighborhood."