No shoes allowed!

An Iraqi "journalist" threw both his shoes at President Bush at a new conference in Baghdad.

The man is very lucky to have survived the incident.  Hadley, the National Security adviser had been busy telling reporters on the trip how well things are now going in Iraq in comparison to events in '05 and '06.  Sometimes you just can't win for losing.

Bush showed considerable aplomb under "fire."  He sounded a little punch drunk or maybe jet lagged?  I wonder if he is going on to Afghanistan and maybe Pakistan from Baghdad.

Like all the world, I just want him to go away.  No "Peace and Justice Commission."  Just go away --- and take Hadley, Rice, Addington, etc. with you.  pl

Comments

[jon]

Shoe throwing is a supreme insult to the person, his position, and to the US. It reflects our continued poor standing in much of the world. Bush's response does not restore any face to us.

He was looking for one last victory lap, so he could change the discussion from the disaster of his wars of opportunity, and deflect attention from his presiding over the greatest economic deterioration in the past seventy years.

As the former head of a professional baseball team, the least I would have hoped for was that he would have fielded that shoe.

[dog's eye view]

It was an insult to dogs everywhere.

This guy and his administration cannot blow town too early for me.

[J]

Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift

http://www.france24.com/en/20081215-arab-world-hails-shoe-attack-bushs-farewell-gift

[linda]

many seem to be impressed by bush's quick reaction. there was speculation that he's very practiced from dodging projectiles flung at him by laura...

[lina]

I must say, I was impressed with his reflexes.

[Nancy K]

Dodging the shoe was the most impressive thing he has done in his 8 years in office.
I agree with you Col Lang, I just want him gone also.

[srv]

What if we just all mailed a pair of shoes to the White House?

[ads]

From now on everyone who enters the POTUS' presence will have to take their shoes off like at the airport.

[mlaw230]

No "Peace and Justice Commission." Just go away --- and take Hadley, Rice, Addington, etc. with you.P.L.

Although I share the feeling, that would be a disaster.

Those who led us to our present fine mess, are of the same camp that has done so before. The neo cons, the "unitary executive" fans, the PNAC crowd, all hail from the same ideological background, an ideological thread that permits the systematic deception of the American public and the befuddlement of its institutions.

The truth here is that even Desert Storm was sold through a series of similar lies foisted by the same folks (remember the babies in incubators story, or the troops massed on the Saudi border?)

Similarly, I recall the Russian bomber "scare" that turned out to be so much propaganda during the Reagan and early Bush 41 term and the el Salvadore gun boats etc..

In short, there is an enormous moral hazard of letting these things go. Most obviously, the Addington crowd will re surface the stab in the back theory, and we will , for the next 30 years, be beating back theories positing that "if only" the next administration had the courage to follow through, all would be fine.

Some type of truth and reconciliation commission is a necessity. We should put a stake in the heart of the idea that our government can do what it wants because it "knows better." This should not be difficult, the propositions are simple; We do not lie our people into war, we do not torture our captives, and we do not surviel our people without some type of review by the judicial branch- come what may.

[RJH]

I must say, I was impressed with his reflexes. - lina

He didn't miss because of W's reflexes, but lack of hand-eye coordination. The journalist grew up on soccer. If he'd played a little baseball, or kicked the shoe at him ...

[pbrownlee]

In regard to this particularly lamentable work of the Creator (the throwee, not the thrower), the niggling thought that it is "real" drunk has been there at least since the extraordinary Bush/Merkel neck massage and "have a beer" conference encounters.

Ex-President Bush II may have yet further marvels to present to an incredulous world.

It is hard-wired into black sheep.

[Jesus Reymundo de la Cruz]

Ducking and dodging like a little girl. A real Texan would have caught the shoe and spit on it. Pull your dress down, George. It is against the law to mail shoes to the White House?

[confusedponderer]

The lessons learned report will undoubted suggest that, in order to prevent such an incident from ever repeating itself, the press henceforth shall come bare footed to see the president.

[GSD]

Baghdad Bob predicted this would happen way back in March of 2003.

"We will greet the Americans with bullets and shoes."

After 5 years of bullets, we finally get the shoes

-GSD

[jonst]

Well, he's been ducking things his entire life. To me, the shoe thrower looked like an idiot. A futile gesture. Full of melodrama and signifying little.

But I can't agree with the Col here. Tempting as it is to tell 'them' to 'just go away', the law, of the US, hopefully, the ICC, if necessary, should be brought to bear on them.

[par4]

If by go away you mean prison I whole heartedly agree.

[Jose]

Mr Bush tried to brush off the incident. "All I can report is it is a size 10," he said. He also called the incident a sign of democracy in the country, saying, "that's what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves", as Zaidi's screaming was heard outside. - from AFP, NEW YORK TIMES

http://www.theage.com.au/world/bush-hails-shoe-attack-as-win-for-democracy-20081215-6yz6.html

This guy does not have clue about what the world is really like.

"Drawing attention to themselves" could also be things like extremism, resistance or even terrorism.

Poor choice of words, does anybody know how this translates into Arabic or Persian?

[William R. Cumming]

Is there a special "Cachet" in the Islamic World to shoe throwing? We know foot washing has unusal significance. Also indicative that security was poor, very poor. President's should always be behind protective glass. Whenever, and whereever! I want to see Bush grow old and follow to its logical conclusion his "Contributions."

[Detlef]

Like all the world, I just want him to go away. No "Peace and Justice Commission." Just go away --- and take Hadley, Rice, Addington, etc. with you.

Doesn´t that mean - just go away - that everything he did was lawful?
If you don´t investigate or prosecute what he or his administration did, aren´t you saying everything he did was lawful?

And a future President could point to it and say "I´m just repeating what a former President did. He wasn´t impeached, he wasn´t prosecuted. So everything he did was lawful?"

So kidnapping foreign citizens, torturing them and even murdering them is suddenly lawful under US law?
(Dilawar in Bagram as an example.)

Starting a war of aggression is suddenly lawful under US law?
Maybe a hundred thousand deaths. Probably more. 2 million displaced persons inside Iraq, 2 million Iraqi refugees outside Iraq according to the UN.

And you´re saying "just go away"?
No responsibility?
None the "buck stops here"?
Nothing...?

[ked]

W continues to display better eye-hand coordination than brain-mouth.

gotta agree with you... the sooner he is consigned to the dustbin, the better. if we could only be so lucky with his Young Guard.

[Watcher]

I guess it has to be quoted from Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery...

Austin Powers: That really hurt! I'm gonna have a lump there, you idiot! Who throws a shoe? Honestly! You fight like a woman!

[Kevin]

You idiots, half of you dumbasses never had nor ever will have the balls step foot in Iraq. Had this been during Saddams regime or in one the neighboring countries, the assailant would have been decapitated on the spot, but the guy was allowed by the secret service to throw both shoes, Bush was allowed to finish his speach, and shoe thrower was still in obversance. As a symbolic gesture to Iraqi independance, I would not be suprised if it were staged.

Dolts.

[parvati_roma]

It is being reported on PressTV.ir and the Iraqi TV station Al Sharqiya that al-Zaidi has been severely tortured by the Iraqi security police and is in a bad way: he has several crushed ribs and a broken arm, other signs of torture on his thighs and elsewhere. Please intervene in any way you can to save him, have him pardoned by the Whitehouse and urgently released - if something is not done soon, the political repercussions will be devastating.
Links:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=78617§ionid=351020201
http://www.roadstoiraq.com/2008/12/16/urgent-just-reported-al-zaidi-in-us-run-camp-cropper-prison/

[J]

Secret Service faces questions after Bush shoe incident

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-secretservice16-2008dec16,0,7896712.story

[mistah charley, ph.d.]

It is not fair to call him a "journalist" in quotes, nor to say he was looking for attention - a real journalist, he gets plenty of attention, and now, although not killed on the spot, he has been beaten severely enough to break his bones.

I also disagree with your sentiment that the Bush Gang should "just go away" - I think they should have fair trials, as previous posters have argued.