Posted on 12/16/2008 6:20:35 AM PST by vietvet67
President Bush says he saw his enemy's "sole" during a bizarre attack by an Iraqi journalist who hurled a pair of shoes at him on a farewell visit to Baghdad.
Muntazer al-Zaidi, a TV reporter, took off and flung his shoes at Mr Bush during a press conference in the Green Zone yesterday, shouting in Arabic as he did so: "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
The shoes narrowly missed the President's head as he stood behind a podium with Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, before clattering into a wall behind the two men.
Throwing shoes is particularly insulting in the Middle East - a crowd of Iraqis used their shoes to whack a toppled statue of Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion - and Mr al-Zaidi was today hailed as a hero across the region while colleagues called for his release.
The incident overshadowed Mr Bush's fourth and final visit to Iraq and the signature of a landmark accord setting a three-year timetable for the withdrawal of US forces - but the US President kept his composure, insisting that "he didn't feel the least threatened by it".
Mr al-Zaidi was quickly overpowered and bundled from the room after the attack. An Iraqi official said today that he was still being held and questioned at Mr al-Maliki's headquarters. His shoes, the official said, were being held as evidence.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
Secret Service is now saying they're doing an internal review of incident..
Well, the irate journalist sure made his point... that being, he never would have been allowed such access to Saddam Hussein and had he been allowed such access and he threw his shoes at Hussein, the journalist would now be dead, along with his family and neighbors... and colleagues.
I know! Last night he was chuckling and said “A guy threw a shoe at me” and shrugged his shoulders.
I thought, damn, I miss you being funny President Bush.
My thoughts, too.
Doubt if half n' half would have reacted as calmly.
Looked into the eyelets and saw the sole.
Our own esteemed journalists throw slurs, insults, lies and misrepresentations around at will.
No one ever calls them on their ugly dishonorable behaviour.
That they are gloating over this incident just shows the defect in their own honor.
It proves that the Muslims still live in 800 AD and don’t have a clue about democracy. They are still in “tribal mentality” and would probably do well on the TV show “Survival Iraq” but poorly in a free society.
They have been indoctrinated not to question what they are told by the Immams and Mullahs and Ayatolas. As in “I a-tol-ya and if I has to tell ya again, I’m strapping a bomb-vest on you and sending you outside to play in crowds.”
In a free society, a person is free to think and act (within the law unless they’re registered Democrats or Liberals) and to question authority. Problem is that Conservative, Traditional, Constitutional people define authority as good and liberals, anarchists and Democrats define authority as bad, UNLESS they become the authority, in which case, THEY are good because they are IN authority.
I’m on my second cup of coffee, maybe that doesn’t make sense.
Obama would have been clocked by the shoe thrower as his eyes would have been locked on a teleprompter.
Bush handled this with dexterity and grace.
Sadly, many here in the US were disappointed that the thrower didn’t hit his target.
Beat me to it !
.
Bush should have said, "Is that all you've got? I've seen Texas Rangers pitchers who throw harder than that."
as well as his closet homosexuality and Israeli boyfriend. ;~))
Which would be a lie, because having lived in Arlington for the last ten years, I know that the one thing we never have are pitchers!
He should have done his best Austin Powers impersonation and said, “ A shoe? Really, who throws a shoe? You fight like a girl!”
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