Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have taken over Crimea if George W. Bush was still in office, House Speaker John Boehner said Monday.

Speaking to a crowd of Republican supporters at the GOP office in Davenport, Iowa, Boehner said Bush would have gotten physical with his Russian counterpart.

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"Does anybody think that Vladimir Putin would have gone into Crimea had George W. Bush been president of the United States? No!" Boehner said.

"Even Putin is smart enough to know that Bush would have punched him in the nose in about 10 seconds!"

Bringing Bush's name into a campaign is an unusual move, as he has been a target of Democrats who try to blame the nation's woes under President Barack Obama on Bush.

And it must be said that Putin's Russia did invade its neighbor Georgia in 2008,  the final year of Bush's presidency.

Boehner has been traveling the country ahead of next Tuesday's midterm elections, campaigning for Republicans in key races. With so much focus on the Senate races — Republicans need to pick up six seats to gain control of the chamber — Boehner pointed out last month that the GOP can extend its reach in the House by taking over more seats.

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