Vladamir Putin obviously knows a thing or two about stand up comedy, he has mastered the fundamentals of the immortal George Burns – the straight man always gets the laughs. Putin and the Russian’s were more than a little pissed off by Bush’s patronizing comments on democracy. I guess, being best buddies and all, Blair was lumped in with W to become Putin’s stooges for the weekend. And they fell for it.
(Picture from Moscow Times: Presidents Bush and Putin standing in front of Putin's first car, a Zaporozhets. note Vlad about to wet himself laughing.)
It was a matter of don’t get angry, get even, and browsing the Russian press, it was a national favourite. George Bush was an easy mark, all Putin had to do was give him some zany props and Bush fell right into a cut-price Red Skelton act.
Putin gives an encouraging chuckle and Bush happily plays up to it, the Dill for all Seasons.
Tony Blair was a bit more cautious so Putin, with impeccable timing, waited until they were in front of the media pack; (paraphrasing) “Tony, tell them about how you can sell peerages and honours to pay for ‘democratic’ campaigns…”
Blair was caught flat footed, went red and stammered. Gotcha! Vlad ‘Burns’, perfect timing and the Russians are rolling in the aisles.
The only shame is the G8 summit actually had some weighty matters to deal with, like the tragedies across the Middle East. Instead of real resolutions, it will be remembered for a great comedic performance.
No comments:
Post a Comment