Bush's soulmate

Vlad Putin bared his soul again today, per the Guardian:

"He turned out to be a strong man, raped 10 women," the Russian president was quoted by Russian media as saying at a meeting in Moscow with Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert. "I never would have expected it of him. He has surprised us all, we all envy him!"

Israeli police announced on Sunday that the president, Moshe Katsav, could be charged with the rape and sexual harassment of several women….

"It was one of those moments when you couldn't believe your ears," [reporter Andrei Kolesnikov] said. Another reporter said officials had burst into laughter.

Ah, so that was what George Bush found so admirable about Putin:

I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul…

Thank the gods we can count on Bush's good judgment.