This is kind of silly, but since we’ve previously talked about “Putinisms”:http://www.totalwonkerr.net/1093/putin-on-iran, I just thought I’d continue the tradition by mentioning that the *”Let’s be friends, guys”* comment “made by Vladimir Putin”:http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080404/103767083.html at the NATO summit in Bucharest puts in mind of a classic Soviet-era cartoon about a cat named Leopold (“Приключения Кота Леопольда”).

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In the cartoon, Leopold gets hassled and taunted by two pesky mice, who chant “Leopold, come out, you sleazy coward!” (Леопольд, выходи, подлый трус!). At the end of every episode, the mice tell Leopold that they are sorry for causing him trouble, to which Leopold responds “Guys, let’s be friends.” (Ребята, давайте жить дружно!)

I can’t quite picture Putin with a big purple bow tie… But you should check out an episode (or more) of the cartoon “here”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhZPtWYZmUA.