Putin respected President George Bush. People thought Bush was a dummy, Putin knew better.
Bush saw a soul there. He didn’t comment on whether he thought it was headed to hell or not.
Not only did Putin respect W, but also he genuinely liked him. On W’s birthday this year, Putin sent him a personally written note wishing him a happy birthday and fondly remembering his time at the ranch in Crawford.
It caused a bit of a tizzy because it was right before a visit with Obama (or something like that) and Obama felt slighted. I don’t remember the exact details of that part of it.