I think it was pretty poor form of a journalist to throw anything and to engage in soft violence against President Bush during his press conference in Iraq.
That said, it’s clear that the history of America’s invasion of Iraq and the human drama there are still a long way from the rosey narrative that the White House prefers.
And it also has to be said that President Bush has great reflexes. He ducked those shoes like a pro.
– Steve Clemons
Now there is a great oil painting from this action on ebay available:
http://cgi.ebay.com:80/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200305803764
Very nice!
Joe M. you are the biggest faggest person i have ever heard of. You are so damn boring you need to just shut the hell up.
Joe M. you are the biggest faggest person i have ever heard of. You are so damn boring you need to just shut the hell up.
One million Iraqis killed, 4+ million refugees and IDPs and someone is talking about ‘poor form”!GWB should have got as many, not just two.
free minded’s post touched me, viscerally:
“maybe all of us dreams to live the american dream, but not bush’s dream.”
all what we got to say, that the history will not forget that bush the worst , had ended his presdential period with lots of hate, which a very simple way of express , throwing a shoe on his face.
it was a present for every Iraqi that is still free of any bacterial american thoughts.
it was a present for every american who lost his beloved ones in this war which they had to go to it without knowing that their president is the biggest lier the earth knew.
in the end , i want to say , that many politions American or any , will count 100000 times before taking a decision like Bush ones.
I am so happy, and i hope that this journalist will be in a good health even if it’s after years of prison.
maybe all of us dreams to live the american dream , but not bush’s dream.
Bush , I don’t know why you didn’t you kill your self till now. Shame on you.
All that’s left to add to the comments on this sad incident is that it yet again allows Shrub to demonstrate that nothing — no facts, no statements, no actions, no reality — will ever penetrate the shell of ignorance, arrogance, and complacency that has been the defining characteristic of his rule and his life.
Indeed, this was further emphasized when he agreed that Al-Qa’ida was not present in Iraq until after we invaded, which fact he acknowledged, but shrugged off with a “So what?” Just as Darth Cheney shrugged off the overwhelming consensus that the war was wrong, the justification a pack of lies, and the rule of these sad criminals a resounding failure.
So what? It isn’t as if any of them will ever lose a dollar or a moment of comfort, and that’s all they ever have or ever will care about.
It isn’t as if there is anyone in Washington within a mile of the levers of power with the slightest interest in prosecuting their crimes and holding them responsible for the damage they have done.
Which is, by far, the greater scandal.
The many times I viewed this on various newscasts, I’ve noticed how skillfully he “ducked to the left”.
Is this the first time gw’s gone to the left in the past 8 years, or is he just adept from all the things his wife has probably thrown at him in disgust of his drunken stupors?!
Once again, we will have the opportunity to see what a cowardly and slimey little weasel Bush truly is. Standing before the world community, he smirks, makes light of the incident, and shrugs it off as no big deal.
But you can bet this hapless journalist, who spoke symbolically for billions of the earth’s inhabitants, will face the full measure of Bush’s dearth of character. Behind the scenes, who can doubt that this morally deficient monster is pressing for revenge for his well earned humiliation?
If indeed, as Bush says, this is no big deal, and if in fact this is how freedom speaks, then why doesn’t Bush press for lenience and forgiveness, and ask for the journalist’s release?
Why, indeed.
We all know better. It would telegraph the presence of a character we all know Bush does not possess. Bush is an embarrassment to everything this nation once represented.
Had grenades been thrown in lieu of shoes, the only tragedy I can assign to the event would be the fact that Dick Cheney would have had three more weeks to work further evil on our planet.
Of course, my post will offend the sensitivities of some, most notably those who refuse to honestly assesss whether or not our planet is better off due to the existence of Dick Cheney and George Bush. To me, and undoubtedly 1,250,000 Iraqi souls, the answer is obvious.
If it had been a bullet, I would have been properly outraged. The symbolism of the shoes so perfectly mirrors my own feelings about the man, that I can’t help but smile and think to myself, “Bravo, well done!”. In fact, it is the cheeriest news I’ve heard in eight years of tyranny. Now every time I fly in the future and remove my shoes for inspection, I will silently thank that Iraqi for his sane and honest reaction to our failed President.
What can we collectively do to ensure that Muntathar al Zaidi, our shoe-throwing hero, isn’t murdered or emotionally destroyed by either Bush’s torturers or those his vermin have trained?
Chris Floyd: “We all had good fun with the image of George W. Bush dodging the shoes flung at him by an angry Iraqi journalist this weekend – who rightly denounced the Crawford Caligula as a “dog” and a killer of Iraqi innocents – but now, as As’ad AbuKhalil notes, a more serious question arises: what will happen to Muntathar al Zaidi, the correspondent for Baghdadiyah Television, who, alone of all the journalists Bush has seen in the past eight years, had the courage to call him the murderer that he is?
article continues at:
http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/3/1663-brought-to-heel-the-grim-realities-behind-bushs-humiliation-in-baghdad-.html
Kerry was undone by a pair of flip-flops. Perhaps Bush will be undone by a pair of shoes. I sincerely hope so.
“The shoe heard ’round the world” has also been going through my brain.
And what a beautiful use of “incivility” to fight inhumanity.
Can’t really see why anyone takes offense at this brave and likely self-sacrificing deed.
Happy holidays to one and all. Decorate your season with shoes of justice!
Can’t really think of a Hobbes or Plato shoe reference. Sad!
Steven Spielberg will not be bidding on that pair of shoes!
Steven Spielberg will not be bidding on that pair of shoes!
Steven Spielberg will not be bidding on that pair of shoes!
That journalist should be sent to Guantanamo.
My humble apologies for failing to mention our courageous sisters and brothers in Iraq.
True that whomever you are. Democracy by definition is a government wherein the authority of the government is derived from the consent of the governed. That would be us. We have the right “…to petition the government for redress of grievances.” USE IT, by any means possible.
The lack or representation in the government is the single cause of the wild and ruthless abuses of the office of the executive run amock.
Democrats are certainly not sinless, but history proves that a far larger much more diverse population of Americans benefit under democratic leadership, warts and all.
Somehow there must be applied some mechanism to truly give voice to the voiceless.
Most Americans do not and will countenance a president as king, with kings rights to operate above, beyond, outside, and in total disdain of the rule of law and our Constitution. The structure of our Constitution and form of government is designed to prevent and prohibit any concentration of wealth and power by any individual, cabal, church, klan, clique, coterie, or oligarch or cartel of oligarchs. Yet, somehow this is exactly what we have allowed to transpire over the recent decades in our government.
The heretofore unrecognized and unimagined powers and untoward authorities invidiously usurped by the fascists in the bushgov directly reflect the peoples lack of representation in the government. The governed would be us, must somehow, by any means possible restore that basic right and that basic critical principle and demand that our leadership recognize and advance the will and best of the people, – not the superrich – the predatory class.
I believe this effort will require massive street movements. Shutting down airports like our sisters and brothers in Taiwan. Massive reactionary street protests like our sisters and brothers in Greece. Tossing of shoes and other objects and other sundry acts of extreme disrespect and civil disobediance and protest at our failed leaders political and corporate. Occupying factories like our sisters and brothers in Chicago. Whatever it takes to demand voice, recognition, and accountability from our socalled leaders.
Martin Luther King before he was murdered was planning a poor peoples protest. Millions of Americans occupying the great lawn and effectively shutting down the seats of power until our voices are heard, recognized, legitimized, and redressed.
The people have the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
USE IT! and bring shoes.
tony – it might be democracy on this thread, but it is anything but with bush and what he has wrought in iraq.. bush walks away free, while the guy who threw the shoe is still in jail… bush has thrown much more and he needs to be held accountable.. in a real democracy he would be… the usa is a masquerade of one and nothing more..
And from the brilliantly orchestrated chari vari, the critical points are made. Paul Norheim’s and Dan Kervick’s adroit commentary deserve revisiting and temper the more incendiary positions of POA and others including yours truly. Then Calista counter the wolves with cries for civility. This is what democracy looks like. It may not always be pretty, but at the very least all sides are heard and a debate or discussion follows. From that we all will walk away with our opinions and positions, but far better informed and entertained.
Steve is one of the most brilliant orchestrators of serious debate in
the blogosphere. His comments were calculated, ruthlessly to use
his own terminology. He knew exactly what sort of debate would
take place here, and we all owe him a bow for subtlety and
brilliance. He knew exactly what would unfold. he does it all the
time to us, and I love it.
ATTENTION
Attention Ladies & Gentlemen,
Your old, tired, sweaty, stinky shoes are needed for a project of utmost importance.
For Details go to
eb-misfit.blogspot.com/2008/12/send-shoes-to-bush.html
Thank You very much
That Is All
[your captcha is STILL broken - second attempt]
“Stop quoting the laws to us. We carry swords.” – Pompey
Isn’t it telling that the two pious ignorant jackasses blathering on about being “Christian” and responsible child rearing are the only two that don’t seem to realize the gravity, inhumanity, and immorality of slaughtering over a million human beings, destroying their infrastructure and society, and poisoning their environment with deadly toxins; most notably, depleted uranium?
There isn’t much of anything on God’s green earth that I detest more than the kind of religious piety, ignorance, and hypocricy displayed by this Blake jackass and the ginny Calista.
“I think its ridiculous and a disgrace that each and everyone of you are insulting the President of the United States…Your President. I don’t care what has gone on. If you think you can could do a better job then run for president. I understand you have your opinions and that’s fine, but to say someone deserves to be humiliated on national and world news is wrong”
Blake, your sense of morality is screwed up beyond comprehension. This pathetic monkey George Bush has murdered over a million Iraqi non-combatants. Respect my ass. In truth, he deserves to, and should, hang for war crimes. And it is jackass citizens like yourself that have bestowed these criminals with a sense of privilege that makes them believe they are above the law.
The piece of shit might be YOUR president, but he doesn’t represent one damned thing that I stand for or find moral, ethical, or humane.
Steve,
Your comment of poor form is quite amazing, if understandable. Perhaps a mile in those shoes might have engendered sensitivity for an altogether different realism.
max
This amazing bit of snark by a journalist who used to be more of an American shill about sums it up.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/15/zaidi-charged-maliki/
I forget the link where I saw the surrounding journalists smirk at the shoe throwing. They all get it. Its only the benighted, and somewhat stupid Amricans who can’t get the import and the cultural context.
BTW, here at TWN, it’s a wide range of politcal views and orientations (except that, sad to say for Steve, if the MSM had anything to do with it they’d probably charcterize him/TWN as left liberal!!!) Yet, save the very narrowly stupid, the concensus of those willing to get into the fray seem to understand the important metaphor of this shoe throwing. Reminds me of the helicopter lifting off the roof the the American embassy in Saigon with a few forlorn souls clinging to the skids. A policy truly misguided and on the skids.
The journalist was hustled out of the room and arrested. He remains in jail and has been tested for for alcohol and drugs to determine his state of mind, said a government official, who requested anonymity. i guess this is in accordance with democracy and freedom of expression Iraqis were promised by the new era and American authorities.
OT Madoff Arrest Sends Shockwaves Through Jewish Philanthropy … wonder if it will have any impact on aipac funding?? fun to dream…
Calista equates shoe throwing with (multiple) bomb dropping.
It’s all “violence” to her.
Calista is profoundly stupid.
Dan Kervick said in his reply to calista: “Personally, I’m a non-
violent man. I wouldn’t throw a shoe at a fly.”
Speaking for myself, I strongly support shoe throwing against
Unitary Executives visiting occupied territories.
But as long as calista is incapable of noticing the considerable
gap between my and Dan`s position regarding shoes, how can
we expect her to distinguish between us and George W. Bush?
He approves torture and preventive wars, and Dan and I do not
approve any of those actions – but what is the difference?
As one “Blake” said above, we should all know that nobody is
perfect. Exactly. We`re all at the same level. Calista says that
she “could sink to” our level, but she doesn`t want to do so.
But that`s OK, calista.
Dan, George W, Detlef and I don`t want you to sink to our level.
And we can assure you that we`re doing just fine, thank you.
Everybody down here send greetings to those above us who
could sink to our level, but do not want to do so. You`ve made
your choice, and I hope you enjoy life up there above W, Dan,
Detlef, Mussolini and me.
At least his reaction time was better than the morning of 9/11 when he sat by and read “My Pet Goat” in a Florida classroom as the country was attacked.
It’s nice to see he has grown into the job.
if that same thing would have happened to adolf hitler or joseph
stalin it would it have been ok?….the brave press cant have a
conscience.
because he is our adolf hitler and the iraquis arent the right
skin color then all the world ought to respect and kow tow…
an obedient press is the death of a nation…..the politicians are
already sold out.
the best government money can buy…as pat buchanan likes to
call them.
calista, calista, calista.
*sigh* I doubt you’ll persuade anyone that a bit of incivility, a flung shoe or two, or even some long-deferred and easily well-justified anger is some sort of outrage. Some sort of crime against your tender sensibilities.
The obscenity here is the 700,00 to 1.2 million dead Iraqi civilians. And the tortured. And the evisceration of America’s prized standard of behavior and the open violation of the rule of law.
It’s simply inappropriate to equate the anger of “Paul, Detlef and Dan” with the malfeasance and wrongdoing of George W. Bush. It gave me pause you could write “you all are no better than President Bush–each of you advocating violence.” It also gave me a good laugh: it’s just not possible to be miffed at these guys when the violator is President Bush.
See, even Presidents have to earn respect. Those who treat us and the American way with contempt, earn contempt.
It’s not an question of maturity. What we’re after is justice. And lawful behavior by every citizen–even those we elect to high office. They’re not entitled to special treatment.
And anger, uncomfortable though you may find it, is long overdue and richly deserved.
Your miffery is misplaced. The schoolmarm act, I have to say, is just profoundly offensive.
Those who can’t work up any outrage over Bush’s $multi-trillion dollar giveaways to the thieves who’ve sucked the economy dry, or over squandering blood and treasure for nothing but lies—are in no position to scold those of us with a conscience. It’s simply inappropriate to presume to correct those of us who’re sane enough to have our heads screwed on straight.
rich,
broadly spoken, I think Steve is sincere, occationally combined
with calculated messages to certain people, signals that he
hopes will have a political impact in certain circles. At the same
time, I believe that he can predict the strong reactions going in
the opposite direction of his clearly or ambigously expressed
opinions, as exactly as I can predict what Tony Foresta is going
to say regarding those “fascists in the Bush gov. and the wanton
profeteers, criminals and predators in the GOP” bla bla bla… if
Steve says anything nice about them.
If the majority of the commentators at TWN were reactionary
right wing defenders like, say kotzabasis, I believe that Steve
would have provoked them much more, i.e. shown the more
“progressive” side of himself more often, also to create
temperature.
(But this is, admittedly, speculation from my side)
What strikes me is that often five or more comments from the
regular readers, or the dynamics between those and the host, is
much stronger then Steves original post on its own. And I think
Steve is aware of that, and welcomes it (well, admittedly not
always but…)
Consciously as well as unconsciously I think he often wants to
provoke strong contra arguments. If not, he would have hated
people like POA. As a matter of fact, Steve is one of POA`s most
devoted fans. And I think that has to do with this dynamic
between the host and his commentators.
He says certain nice things about, say, Condoleezza Rice, and -
if he has some time to check the blog, waits eagerly for the
angry reactions from POA and the rest of us.
I think this is at least part of the game.
But sure, if he says something really nice or flattering about
Hagel, Brzezinski, or the “realist” branch of the foreign policy
experts in general, he is 100% honest.
I would love to say that I am shocked and appalled at the name calling and insults you have flung my way, but that would be a lie, a huge lie! Paul, Detlef, and Dan- you all are no better than President Bush-each of you advocating violence to solve problems and name calling like school boys. I could sink to your level, name call and show my tail as you *gentlemen* have very maturely done, but I’ll pass. Apparently you can’t stand for someone to present a divergent idea… gosh, that IS exactly like President Bush! Bravo guys!
…what Detlef Dec said.
Paul Norheim,
A drop of irony on Steve’s part with the “pretty poor form” line would put a neat spin on it.
It’d be a dig at those overly concerned with social niceties but unable to face up to the carnage their silence has wrought.
But I don’t think we can read any irony into it: Steve balances his comment with
“That said, it’s clear that the history of America’s invasion of Iraq and the human drama there are still a long way from the rosey narrative that the White House prefers.”
Much more accurate to take it at face value. I see the appeal, but it’s just not there.
JonH – thanks for saying better what i tried to in my 4:01pm post… that message seems lost on many americans…they don’t appear to get it..
Those shoes will probably become a larger part of our collective
memories than Khrushchev`s famous shoe-banging.
Zathras said, “It still would be nice if more Iraqis had developed the custom of throwing shoes at one another.” And it would be nicer still if the American military would develop the custom of dropping shoes not bombs. It might even set a precedent–Americans could drop food, clothing, health supplies, even condoms. Then America would become famous for dropping useful things instead of death and destruction. And it would serve to prop up demand in a depressed economy.
The hand that signed the paper felled a city;
Five sovereign fingers taxed the breath,
Doubled the globe of dead and halved a country;
These five kings did a king to death.
The mighty hand leads to a sloping shoulder,
The finger joints are cramped with chalk;
A goose’s quill has put an end to murder
That put an end to talk.
The hand that signed the treaty bred a fever,
And famine grew, and locusts came;
Great is the hand that holds dominion over
Man by a scribbled name.
The five kings count the dead but do not soften
The crusted wound nor pat the brow;
A hand rules pity as a hand rules heaven;
Hands have no tears to flow.
- Dylan Thomas
Calista,
What would you say is a suitable punishment for a war criminal who is responsible for the unjustified killings of many thousands of people?
I suppose we should all support legal justice by way of courts rather than vigilante justice by way of flying shoes or loud public insults. But given the gravity of the crimes, and the comic lightness of the vigilante measures, your outrage seems to lack a sense of perspective.
Perhaps your are so unduly dazzled by the customary prestige and assumed dignities of high office that it escapes you how a President of the United States could deserve to be the target of flying shoes, or worse?
We’re just talking about a couple of shoes. It’s not as though Bush’s charred corpse was taken out and hung from a bridge in Fallujah. But if that’s what had happened, how many around the world would say that justice had not been done?
Personally, I’m a non-violent man. I wouldn’t throw a shoe at a fly.
Zathras – true, or what they would probably really like – do something similar to all the relatives that have been murdered by the usa invasion over here on north american soil.. hate breeds more hate and nothing encouraged it better then murdering innocent people… perhaps the american troops could adopt ‘your measure’ over in iraq as well..
“It will be interesting to see if the incident galvanizes non-violent
Iraqi and American opposition to the occupations.” (JohnH)
Exactly. There is a touch of Gandhi in the assymetric warfare of
the shoe throwing journalist. And it could become a powerful
symbol. Even displaying a shoe on a button on your jacket.
The Global Shoe Movement against the Global War on Terror.
Posted by … Dec 15, 3:18PM – Link
——————–
…,
my gut instincts go in the same direction as yours: they should
have been widespread immediately. Especially since, as you say,
there is no info neutrality. But I still think those questions are
valid.
This journalist accredited to what is evidently a Sunni Arab-oriented media outlet has probably bought himself and his family immunity from being targeted by Shiite death squads or AQI fanatics for at least a year or so. I commend him on his ingenuity.
It still would be nice if more Iraqis had developed the custom of throwing shoes at one another, as opposed to shooting one another, torturing one another with power drills, or blowing one another up.
calista,
That President and his administration are responsible for kidnappings, torture and manslaughter/murder of innocent people in their “terrorist/rendition” program.
He started a war of aggression resulting in – at least – a hundred thousand deaths. Probably more. With an additional 2 million Iraqis refugees inside Iraq and 2 million Iraqis refugees outside Iraq according to the UN.
And according to the Democrats impeachment is out of question. And very likely neither he nor any of his important people will ever face an American court. All in the spirit of “bipartisanship”.
And you tell me that you are “above throwing shoes at people who do things you don’t like”?
I wonder if you thought things through?
Just imagine if China or Russia or whoever had decided to “liberate” your country. And unfortunately one air attack against supposed terrorists killed your family. And they would call it “collateral damage”. What would you do?
Or arrested one of your (innocent) family members and beat them to death (Dilawar in Bagram for example)? Or taken some of your family members hostages to “persuade” your father/uncle whatsoever to turn themselves in? Happened in Iraq. Reported by the WaPo. And the officers were quite proud of it. Who cares if it violates the Geneva Conventions?
Throwing a shoe is actually pretty restrained in my opinion. Especially if the people in question don´t seem to face any law suits in the USA.
Personally I wouldn´t be “appalled by things the president has done”, I´d be outraged. And outraged that nobody responsible probably will be prosecuted in your country.
Calista–If throwing a shoe is “bad manners,” how do you characterize dropping a 500# bomb on a wedding party? Or a Commander in Chief who is responsible for authorizing such operations?
It will be interesting to see if the incident galvanizes non-violent Iraqi and American opposition to the occupations. In some places Iraqis are throwing shoes at American patrols, who have not responded. (If this had been done to Sharon, he would have had a couple apartment buildings filled with Arabs blown up.)
>>Posted by Paul Norheim Dec 15, 11:45AM – Link
I have a lot of questions after seeing the pictures of victims Dan
Kervick linked to above.
Should these, or similar pictures have been exposed in main
stream media? >> YES
When? Where? IMMEDIATELY EVERYWHERE.
In 2003/2004, on the front page of The New York Times or
Newsweek?<< YES
but remember blogs like steves, and major news outlets have a major interest in not rocking the boat and challenging the hand that feeds them.. until everyone recognizes this, what passes for info neutrality will be seen for the very different reality it is…
Calista,
As many readers of TWN may confirm, I rarely approve ad
hominem attacks, but I have to say that you are extremely stupid.
When you talk about “bad manners” and “ill-bred” people in the
context of an occupied country, with more than a million killed
and several millions maimed and in exile, I can`t find a more
polite way to characterize your attitude at this thread. We`re not
talking about peaceful, suburban middle class families here.
Yes, “stupid” is the appropriate word. “Ignorant” would not nail it,
as long as there is plenty of information about the context of
those shoes above in this thread.
I am not a fan of Bush and don’t believe in this war at all, never have…..it was Bush’ war from the start and he has created all this mess.
As regards to the shoe throwing incident, although I didn’t think it was very nice and could have been dangerous…I think we understand how the man felt, he apparently lost family members in the war and using the shoe in that manner is a sign of their disdain in their culture.
I would like to know how though this man had the time to take off both shoes and throw at Bush …where were the Secret Service at this point?????
I am a us citizen who has never supported the war on Iraq. It has been evident from the beginning of the rumble of war talk to the actual invasion from the Bush White House that no weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq. To me, only a fool would be crazy enough to be shocked that the american troops have not been welcomed with open arms.
Peace lovers like myself have been labeled unpatriotic or even worse, lovers of terrorism. I say who is the real terrorist mr. Bush?
George Bush is the real Terrorist.
How can anyone say that what he is doing is justifiable?
The world is like a playground, Iraq was the troubled group led by an ass and america is the big, popular group ruled by a bully, an idiot bully at that.
No one thinks that what Saddamm Hussain was doing was right, but he’s not even in the counrty let alone controlling irag so why are the american, austrlain and british etc troups still causing havok. How many innoncent people will have to die before Everyone comes to their senses and see that Georgre Bush is just like hitler, he unkindly kills innoncent people. Noone has the right to take anyones life, especially not some oversized ego maniatic racist, god ****ing, homophobic redneck bully.
Everyone wants peace, so why are they still making war on people and countries instead of trying to work through things peacefully
if you agree with me then sign this petition,
if not thenfeel free to add you coments because it will just mean your signing my petition so there
luv steve
xx
who is real terrorist bush or muslims????
my answer is
the real terrorist Mr. Bush
LizDexic… I am appalled by things the president has done, but I am above “throwing shoes at people” who do things I don’t like. I can see that you are not, and if you support behavior like that, then I really hope you don’t have children that you are going to pass that behavior on to! If you do, please let me know where you live so my family can stay safely away from ill-bred people such as yourself.
“I hate to break the news to you but you aren’t perfect.” (Blake)
I agree completely with what Blake just said.
I am not perfect, and you are not perfect.
Neither Blake nor my aunt (who BTW lives in London) are perfect.
Just like Mr. Bush.
He`s not perfect either.
He currently lives in Washington.
And wouldn´t you all agree if I said that Jack and Jill aren`t
perfect either? And what about Pinochet? Pol Pot? Mussolini?
Could anyone claim that they were perfect?
Blake’s comment would be equally true if from a good Nazi referring to Hitler. No, Bush the lesser is a war criminal, and has enthusiastically deconstructed an entire country and assaulted individual human rights advances that go back to the Magna Carta. President he may be, but it doesn’t give him a pass on war criminal status.
I agree with John H: That must now be the most valuable pair of shoes in all the current era.
PS: You must think of where those shoes had been. I understand sewage is still running in the streets of Iraq, and effective garbage collection is a phenomenon of the distant past, back when the Saddam was in charge. It wasn’t just shoes that were aimed at Bush.
Honestly — a shoe being thrown is just representative of how most Iraqi’s and people in
the Middle East feel about him. My concern —
Where was the Secret Service? Why was a 2nd shoe
allowed to be thrown and why wasn’t the President
immediately tackled and taken out of the room.
Shoes can be dangerous — really. With all of the
threats against the incoming President – and now
we hear his chief of staff — A 2nd shoe should
never ever be thrown!
Calista is evidently not “appalled” at a president who would lie us
into a war and drop bombs on Bagdad in our name.
(Outing a CIA agent, torturing people and holding them without
charges are AOK by her too, evidently.)
And Blake, you are DELUSIONAL if you think Bush was put in power
by God…it was GOD who wanted to punish the Iraqis??
it was the Supreme Court who put him in power, in case you
weren’t paying attention…
Go listen to Randy Newman’s “God’s Song”.
bush never was and never will be my president Blake. Get that straight. The fascists in the bushgov, and particularly dear leader have shamed, perverted, and betrayed America and do not deserve and will never get one nano particle of respect, goodwill, goodfaith, or trust from me. Not in my name. The shoe tossing in Iraq was an act of courage that gave expression to the billions of people all over this world who repudiate, reject, and renounce this fascist, predator, tyrant, pathological liar, and wanton profiteer. Matthew 7:15, read it.
Blake, if you’re a “Christian” why do you not care about the people
MURDERED by Bush? And done in OUR name?
(You’d make a very good GERMAN citizen during WWII….never
daring to criticize your “Dear Leader.”)
You people who support throwing shoes at a president must have been raised by wolves! No manners, no home training. It’s appalling to me.
If you ask me, I think Steve Clemons made a nice little comment.
When he wrote: “I think it was pretty poor form of a journalist to
throw anything and to engage in soft violence against President
Bush during his press conference in Iraq” – did you really assume
that he imagined that POA, JohnH, TonyForesta, Dan Kervick and
the rest of us would agree and say:
- yes sir, that was bad behavour against our dear leader?
Yeah, he acts politely, he doesn`t want to offend the DC
establishment directly. But this is not the first time I`ve seen him
delivering an ambigous defense for people he detests, as if he`s
just waiting for the angry responses. Clever.
I think its ridiculous and a disgrace that each and everyone of you are insulting the President of the United States…Your President. I don’t care what has gone on. If you think you can could do a better job then run for president. I understand you have your opinions and that’s fine, but to say someone deserves to be humiliated on national and world news is wrong. If you are going to say that, then I believe everyone deserves it. You are just a much a sinner as the guy next to you. You never done anything immoral? I hate to break the news to you but you aren’t perfect. I am tired of people in the USA disrespecting our President. I am not very excited about our President-elect Obama, but as a Christian, God has put him into authority for a reason. I will submit to him and respect him. If you are a Christian (which 90% of Americans CLAIM to be) then you are disrespecting God in this area. Romans 13 read it!
Steve, I’m baffled by your response. Is not insulting the major mass murderer of our time poetic reward for his crimes? Has any current world actor killed more? Bush has smeared dung on our flag, then stomped on it. Too bad the guy missed.
I thought Bush was modeling the “Duck and Cover” survival
strategy to the Iraqi’s.
*Lame* duck and cover. lol.
I have a lot of questions after seeing the pictures of victims Dan
Kervick linked to above.
Should these, or similar pictures have been exposed in main
stream media?
When? Where?
In 2003/2004, on the front page of The New York Times or
Newsweek?
Would they just add to the immunity against horrible images,
after a century where everybody were overexposed to horrible
images?
Or would they help changing the course earlier on?
But how? By creating a public outrage, resulting in early US
withdrawal, immediately after having destroyed the fabric of the
Iraqi nation, resulting in even more secterian violence?
On the other hand: didn`t the leaders, didn`t the American
people know that this is exactly what war looks like – after
beeing exposed to countless of images of past crimes and wars
- also in the mainstream media?
Did most people from top to bottom really believe that the US
soldiers would be met as liberators, with flowers?
Or were they so angry, and so scared after 9/11, that they just
didn`t care?
And then you had those who used 9/11 as a pretext to attack
Iraq, for oil, for democratization, to destabilize and regime-
change the whole region into peaceful, friendly, capitalistic
nations…
It´s hard to distinguish between fear and manipulation,
naivism, cynicism, enthousiasm and revenge, paranoia and
bravery, humiliation and hubris, wherever you look into this
insane athmosphere between 2001 and 2003.
If some of those pictures had been published months after the
invasion in 2003, they certainly would have had an effect, both
in America, in the Arab world and elsewhere. But which effect?
They certainly speak, and speak loudly, the truth about war. But
in a given context, the effect could result in highly
unpredictable events. In modern warfare, a picture is a weapon,
is an extention of politics, just like the lack of pictures, the
censoring of pictures, is warfare.
As I said: questions.
Don’t you think it was pretty “poor form” to invade the man’s
country (under false pretenses) and kill over 100,000 of his
fellow countrymen?
…a professional torturer?
…a professional liar?
…a professional despoiler of countries?
WHICH?
“…like a pro”….??
A professional war criminal who ducks hurled projectiles?
The man has had plenty of practice: he has ducked lots of things during his life. Like service in Vietnam?
Bush has always felt that he deserved thanks from the Iraqis for what he done for them. He just got his thanks.
Also, I think we should go back to tomato throwing.
How could that not make you think of Austin Powers?
I hope that Muntazir Az-Zaydi’s interrogators have the good sense to make sure they teach him the difference between a dog and a monkey.
Its comical seeing the smirking piece of shit shrugging this off as if its the isolated sentiments of one wack-job journalist…
“BAGHDAD – Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Monday to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush, as Arabs across many parts of the Middle East hailed the journalist as a hero and praised his insult as a proper send-off to the unpopular U.S. president…..”
more……..
“Newspapers across the Arab world on Monday printed front-page photos of Bush ducking the flying shoes, and satellite TV stations repeatedly aired the incident, which provided fodder for jokes and was hailed by the president’s many critics in the region.”
“Iraq considers Sunday as the international day for shoes,” said a joking text message circulating around the Saudi capital Riyadh….”
more……
“Palestinian journalists in the West Bank town of Ramallah joked about who would be brave enough to toss their shoes at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, another U.S. official widely disliked in the region…..”
more….
“The response to the incident by Arabs in the street was ecstatic…..”
“Al-Zeidi is the man,” said 42-year-old Jordanian businessman Samer Tabalat. “He did what Arab leaders failed to do.”
more…
“Hoping to capitalize on this sentiment, al-Zeidi’s TV station, Al-Baghdadia, repeatedly aired pleas to release the reporter Monday, while showing footage of explosions and playing background music that denounced the U.S. in Iraq.”
“We have all been mobilized to work on releasing him, and all the organizations around the world are with us,” said Abdel-Hameed al-Sayeh, the manager of Al-Baghdadia in Cairo, where the station is based…….”
more….
In Baghdad’s Shiite slum of Sadr City, thousands of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr burned American flags to protest against Bush and called for the release of al-Zeidi.
“Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head,” the protesters chanted in unison.”
“In Najaf, a Shiite holy city, some protesters threw their shoes at an American patrol as it passed by. Witnesses said the American troops did not respond and continued on their patrol….”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq
Yeah, isolated incident, my ass. Mission accomplished, eh George? Welcome to Bushworld, where causing a whole hemisphere to hate our guts is considered “making us safer”. Perhaps the next Muslim that sidles to the top of the pitcher’s mound will have a better arm. One can only hope.
Dan Kervick, thanks for posting that link to images of Iraqi victims of American brutality. Americans who support and enable the invasion and continuing occupation (and that includes virtually all of the people in Obama’s new administration, including Obama himself) should have to view them daily. Maybe some would finally get a conscience.
Muntazir Az-Zaydi is an international hero. This moment is iconic. An extremely fitting tribute. Thank you, Muntazir Az-Zaydi, for your bravery in expressing so unforgettably what do many of us around the world feel.
This was a kind of asymmetric warfare – and even surgical
warfare (though he missed in one sense) – that we haven`t seen
much of in the 21. century: a pair of shoes against the leader of
the most powerful nation on the planet during a press
conferance.
It`s the exact opposite of terrorism: the purpose was not to
create fear by targeting innocent people, but to insult, in the
most direct manner, the person responsible for an illegal
invasion and occupation. The point of surgical warfare is not
only to hit the target, but also, and perhaps more, to avoid
unnecessary damage and hurting innocent sivilians. Though this
brave and angry journalist missed his target, he hit him right in
his face in a symbolic way, expressing the anger, despair and
contempt of millions of Arabs.
Poor form? No, quite the opposite. This was an act of surgical
warfare, of assymetric warfare on a human scale – the opposite
of hi-tech wars, bombs exploding in night clubs, trains and
busses, cluster bombs, waterboarding and humiliation of
innocents.
A pair of shoes against the Unitary Executive – beautiful!
What did Bush expect after what he’ve done in middle east?
Was he expecting the Iraqies to celebrate with him and give him flowers and sing and dance with him?
Look at what Bush did in the Middle East:
1- Afghnistan war: killing still in progress!
2- Iraq war: Even Saddam was better than him .. at least we don’t hear of death every day!
3- Suddan , Suomalia , Iran , Syria .. lots of problems because of Bush.
4- Supported with money and wepons to Israil against Lebanon!
And after all that shoe is too much for him!
Don’t just watch the news and say what they say, come to Iraq and see what’s happning there by yourself.
More than milion Iraqies was killed scince the invation of the US.
We don’t want a democracy like this .. leave us aloan we shall decide whats the best for us not some one like Bush!
Regards
While I am glad Bush was not injured, I totally agree with the thrower’s assessment of him.
He deserved everything he gets. Bush is not only responsible for the destruction and rape of Iraq, he’s also directly responsible for the savage attacks which have been endured by the american Working Class in the past 8 years. Obama and the democrats will be ittle better, its time to start the construction of a revolutionary bolshevik vanguard to take power out of the hands of the capitalists and give ownership over the means of production to the workers.
I think the biggest terroris of Universe (Bush) should be renamed as:G.W.Shoes instead of his ugly name:G.W.Bush
geez dan kervick – that is pretty graphic… not sure if steve will look as it is in ‘bad form’..
President Bush should be hung unpside down and kicked in the
head similar to how Mussolini was hung upside down on
meathooks from the roof of a gas station, then stoned by civilians,
after his death!
So “good form” entails meekly accepting that one’s society and economy have been blown to smithereens on false pretenses? Who’s really the criminal here?
This sounds like the same old, standard fare–laws are only for the “little people.” The high and mighty must be honored at all times because they are above the law.
Maybe Steve could enlighten us on exactly how he proposes to bring Bush to justice, so that people wouldn’t feel the need to throw stuff at him.
I thought Bush was modeling the “Duck and Cover” survival strategy to the Iraqi’s.
Try and tell a child why they don’t have a mother anymore,
gently explain what it means to be a casualty of war,
at night when all alone terrified they scream,
try and change their nightmare into a pleasant dream.
Along this evil path of war where progress
is regressive
Bush preached a tainted message, evil and aggressive,
forced upon humanity hard ship and depression,
from all these evil acts, is there never to be a cession?
Try and tell a child why they don’t have a mother anymore
gently explain what it means to be a casualty of war
at night when all alone terrified they scream
try and change their nightmare into a pleasant dream
Yes, very poor form to throw a shoe at President Bush. Someone could have been injured by such roughhousing.
Here are some images of George Bush’s own handiwork. I believe all of the people in the images received their injuries by dangerous flying shoes.
http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqwarpix.html#IRAQWARPIX
Careful forensic analysis of the You Tube video reveals another shoe and several balled-up socks coming at Bush from the direction of the grassy knoll.
As others have remarked elsewhere, I thought they told us it would be flowers they’d get thrown at them. Wait ’till the Iraqi’s learn about rotten tomatoes and eggs.
Steve,
You err in suggesting hurling a shoe is “pretty poor form.” The incident was not a matter of etiquette, and the occasion called for a response with integrity that rose to the circumstance.
What kind of response does atrocity demand of us? Of you? Or of journalists–Iraqi or American? George Bush deserved no less than the shoes, and the utter contempt they express.
We’ve got more than a million dead Iraqi civilians, the country’s civil society quite consciously vivisected, its infrastructure shattered and national assets auctioned off–thanks to Kissinger Associates. Bush has eviscerated every defining character trait and legal principle at the core of American body politic.
Yet this is “poor form”? That journalist is displaying a sane reaction to an insane world–at an appropriate scale.
Our depleted uranium has caused waves of birth defects. Air strikes regularly rack up civilian casualties, making any military victory impossible and costing us all support. We’ve seen torture without real concern—seen dog’s heads sewn onto the corpses of little girls. Bagdhad is just a large strategic hamlet, created by ethnic cleansing, bribery and the salvador option. In Fallujah it was white phosphorus and American snipers who took out 10-year old boys.
So the question becomes: What exactly does it take for politicos and bureaucrats in D.C. to consult their conscience?
I’ve never begrudged you the cocktail parties and social circuit. Doe’n't bother me.
But is this really gonna be your Let Them Eat Cake Moment?
At a certain point, what’s “pretty poor form” is refusing to acknowledge the reality wrought by eight years of failed policy, unaccountable political leadership, and irresponsible social milieu that carries on as though nothing is amiss.
Just sayin’.
Out in the world, many of us have come to the conclusion that a couple shoes is the least of it. Sooner or later, an average American citizen is going to find themselves in the same room as ex-President Bush. And they’ll have a point to make.
Why does George Bush deserve civility when the average American receives none at all? That’s what this is about.
Hillarious Dan Kervick.
This is the future for dear leader. Insults, animosity, and total disrespect and disdain everywhere he goes outside of Karl Rove’s vetted and handpicked audiances. A fitting reward for a tyrant and the worst most damaging president in American history.
Cheney deserves darts!
Is the shoe on ebay yet? Or are they saving it for Sotheby’s?
So now all journalists have to remove their shoes before pressers??!
OK, I admit it – I was rooting for the shoe.
“This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq,†shouted the man (throwing the shoes)…….
Well, lets see, with 1,250,000 dead Iraqi non-combatants, I’d say the “widows and the orphans” are a pretty sizable hunk of the population, eh?
Yep. Too bad he missed. Its a shame that all the “widows and the orphans” don’t get a turn on the pitcher’s mound, isn’t it? I’ve got a pair of size 9 1/2 Whites I’d donate to the cause. They’re a damned fine pair of boots, but for this I’d part with ‘em. Those packer heels would make one hell of a dent.
Do you think it was in poor form for NBC to do an “NBC News Special Report”, interrupting scheduled programming, to show this on TV? As if people really needed more reminding that Bush is the kind of President people throw shoes at???
http://tinyurl.com/5udawl
You folks aren’t looking at this in context, and realizing just how serious this is. If I was George Bush, (God, what a nightmare THAT is to imagine!), I would be firing my entire fuckin’ security detail, their bosses, and the boss’s bosses.
Think about it. If that was a grenade, Monkey Boy would be little more than a few dozen stains on the floor. Someone really dropped the ball on this one. By all rights, that journalist should have taken a round through the head before the shoe ever left his hand.
Obama would be wise to have security experts analyze the tape, and use it as a textbook example how NOT to protect the POTUS. Bush is extremely lucky to be breathing tonight.
And yeah, its a damned shame the journalist missed. I don’t imagine he’s facing an easy go of it, and its too bad he can’t take his licks realizing he wiped the smirk off Monkey Boy’s face. It would almost be worth it.
Ah, I note that Pacos Gal realizes the gravity of what just happened.
From what the news report said, this was an Iraqi journalist, who had recently been kidnapped, who had covered this war from the Iraqi perspective for a long time. According to the news report I heard, throwing shoes, is a great insult, so perhaps the guy felt justified to throw Bush a shoe or two.
I don’t know. If this had been my country and I’d just been through a kidnapping and who knows what, maybe I’d be throwing shoes too. Perhaps, everyone should be more thankful, that it is only shoes that were thrown.
One need not attribute Bush’s pseudo-Texas/redneck persona; nor the rejected uber preppy J.Press/Brooks Brothers chic-cum entitled insensitivity; nor the parental-susidized busines/frat boy failiure to understand the detestibilty and crassness of this man (Bush, not the thrower, who is all sophistocation by comparison). Bush is nothing but common scum raised high by accident of birth, except that his pretension should earn him a place in the criminal dock.
This is like shooting fish in a barrel.
This is a black eye for Dana Perino.
No, literally. She got a mic in her eye in the ensuing melée.
This shoe flap is just a classic case of cultural misunderstanding giving rise to poor reporting by an uncomprehending western media. While showing the bottoms of one’s feet is, as we all know, a sign of gross disrespect and poor breading in the Arab world, giving a guest the shoes off one’s own feet is a gesture of great respect and honor, and an example of that hospitality for which the Arab people are world-famous.
As we can hear on the tape, Bush says “shukran jazilan” to Maliki, apparently after being informed that he is about to be given a present. The man in front of Bush then presents the shoes in the traditional “flying messenger” manner, signifying the hope that the sojourning guest may enjoy a speedy flight on Gabriel’s wings to his destination.
This was the funniest video I’ve seen in 2008. Though unfortunately, both tosses were high and outside, and dear leader did his usual adroit job of ducking, – the thrower should be awarded the Freedom Medal or the Iraqi equivalent, for truly giving voice to the voiceless billions of people world wide who utterly despise this tyrant, fascist, wanton profiteer and pathological liar.
Tragically, the man who threw his shoes at bush is probably being stripped naked and undergoing some kind of perverted torture in Gitmo now.
Bravo Iraqi’s!!!
steve — sure it was in poor form… however, bush’s whole approach has been in good outward form (a great outer facade), but completely disrespectful to the world, iraq and the planet as a whole.. he has lacked integrity and honesty from very early in his tenure as president..
as dwg notes, he has been ducking and weaving for quite some time, but it is nothing to be impressed with.. the world has suffered under his horrible leadership… as a consequence the usa badly needs to correct much of what he has undone in terms of good will and honour that the usa might have once had.. i am not sure it is up to the task and if it is only going to be about making sure everything is ‘in good form’ only it is screwed…
as a journalist/blogger you have a responsibility to call a spade a spade when you see one.. it is probably directly in conflict with your diplomatic status but certain things need to be addressed quickly, or a lot quicker then they ever were with bush and his gang of thugs..
Steve, I had the SAME thought that the Decider did an excellent job
of ducking those shoes! Props!
AND remembered where I learned to duck shoes…
Mrs. Decider!
The Decider has had a LOT of practice.
He ducked “like a pro” all right. Just like he’s ducked responsibility for everything his entire life – from dodging the draft to evading responsibility for ANY mistake made by his administration in 8 of the longest years of my life. I think the hurler of shoes should be congratulated Steve – he’s the only one in the room with enough integrity and honesty to tell it like it is.
Shame on you for criticising a reporter for “poor form” that expresses the TRUTH for a change. Perhaps if you’d walked a mile in those shoes?
Its hard to say Bush deserves any sort of respect. I know lots of folks would like to clean up the act, assume that Obama will restore some sort of post-Fascist patina to the American footprint on this earth. But its hard to understate the blot that Bush, the Neos, the cronies, and the rest of the sorry lot has left as its mark. Politics should be in the service of human decency, not a stranger to it.
No. No embarrassed tsk-tsking from this quarter. I’m still working on formulating a meaningful reply to the question Steve posed below on the nature of corruption. But we can say for certain, that the Bush gang covered most of the bases. What should we have expected from a cretin who enjoyed blowing up frogs as a kid, signing off on executions, and mocking pleas for mercy from death row inmates?
Did the Iraqis shoot that guy yet?
Smashing Bush’s face in might be the most democratic thing that could happen to him.
One other point. It is really disgusting that politicians can be so distanced from the destruction they cause. I am all for criminalizing politics. These decisions they make should not be made in a vacuum, but they should suffer criminally for the people they hurt.
Steve, I totally disagree with you. Bush totally deserves to be smashed in the face.
I am only sorry that the shoe wasn’t a direct hit. If Bush can order the destruction of an entire country, it is only fitting that he can suffer some consequences. The sad part is that the Iraqi people don’t have more power to avenge themselves from the brutality of people like Bush.
And too, I would rather have invested journalists attacking these violent politicians, than have the American press corps asking what type of puppy the president elect will buy, or what his favorite movie is.
If we are lucky, bush will rot his remaining years away. and Maybe get smashed in teh face many times.