Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush during press conference
By scarce Sunday Dec 14, 2008 12:54pm
An Iraqi man throws a shoe at President George W. Bush during a new conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, in Baghdad. A man threw two shoes at Bush, one after another, during the news conference. Bush ducked both throws, and neither man was hit.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Here's more via Bloomberg:
In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. The man shouted an Arabic phrase, which an Iraqi present translated as “this is a farewell kiss, dog.”
The shoe-thrower, who was in a group of journalists, was wrestled to the ground and taken away. “This is the end,” shouted the man, later identified by the Associated Press as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.
Bush tried to sneak up on the Iraqi press. Not a good idea.
UPDATE via Think Progress:
Apparently, Bush was unfazed by the incident. “I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it,” he said.
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Duck, pinhead. The book will hopefully becoming next. Then jail.
I wish that guy had thrown eggs or rotten tomatoes.
However, this was the highlight of my weekend...I laughed so hard.
As funny as it was, there was actually a sad symbolism to it. Bush ducked, and the shoe hit the American flag behind him. To me that was symbolic of how a generous nation with a noble history has been repeatedly trashed for the last few years by a small minority of pricks with a short-sighted agenda.
He ducked those shoes pretty quick. Still, that's disturbing that a guy with that much hatred for Bush could get so close. It's a good thing they were just shoes and not something worse.
Where was the secret service?
What you call "hatred" is known as "righteous anger" in the rest of the world.
Wow, the moralistic relativism of some Americans is astounding, it turns out the real "victim" here is Bush after all... eh?
Moralistic relativism? You don't even know me. Where in my post did I call Georgie boy a victim. I think you're reading more into my post than is actually there.
With respect, I think you and I would agree on lots of things. I read your posts on this blog a lot. Maybe you've seen some of mine? I'm on your side. I'll repeat it again, it's disturbing when anyone with that much hatred for Bush could get that close. If they can get that close to him, they could get that close to Obama. And I find that disturbing. As much as I hate George Bush, I've seen JFK being shot over and over in the Zapruder film. I was alive when Reagan was shot. It's disturbing when any president, regardless of what political party they're affiliated with, is attacked. And I think the secret service dropped the ball, and that's disturbing to me.
Is that reporter's anger justified? Hell yes it is. I'm angry at him too, but not angry enough to see him get hurt. Would I like to see him go to jail? Yes. I'd also like him to live long enough to see the damage he has caused to our reputation, Iraq and the world. I think that would be justice.
Then again, maybe this is just funny because that's exactly what it is. It's funny. The implications are disturbing, but someone throwing shoes at Georgie boy is funny. So, maybe we should lighten up and just have a good laugh at Chimpy's expense. That was the intent of my post.
By the way, I also feel much more disturbed by Bush's illegal and immoral war. I've protested against it. I was against it from the very beginning when most Americans weren't.
You'd be whistling a different tune if you or your family members had been murdered, tortured, or bombed out of your homes and the U.S. was immorally destroyed and occupied...but of course, our lives have greater value, right?
Get off on your phony, hypocritical plateau...any negative expression towards this monster is justified.
While I found the above video funny, one of my concerns was with how simple it was for someone to potentially attack the President of the United States. Love him or hate him, it is not cool to wish anyone harm.
You said, "any negative expression towards this monster is justified." That kind of thing worries me, because you are implicitly condoning assassination attempts.
i HIGHLY doubt he was including "assassination" into the category of "negative expression"
our Piece of Roach Shit in Chief to be "assassinated"? A negative expression can mean a myriad of things...such as the finger, mooning, cursing, etc. Perhaps an extreme act like "assassination" is something you might have on your mind(guilt is a strange thing).
I personally hope this wicked loser lives to 100 and face the tsunami of hatred that will rain on his criminal, murder spewing head.
So you went from finding the event "disturbing" to now consider it "funny"?
At least be consistent with your bullshit man...
And you're a tough guy on the internet. How brave. I'm done with you. Jerk.
and a bad one at that...
LOL.
my God its NOT hatred idiot, GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD.
hey man, hey man omg he threw SHOES, THROWING SHOES is an ACT OF HATE!!.
hilarious. Too bad he missed his pathetic ugly doofy face, of course that would have been too timeless for this world
You know why didn't he just throw grenades. If only to make your absurd post correct
I mean are you just a troll, "joesixpack"? And is life really bad/boring to type up that huge of a response to continue the charade of which i couldn't get past the 1st paragraph? Its just a little hard to believe someone on this site could think throwing shoes while having fun with it is an act of hate.
Or is it. Maybe some "liberals" can just be THAT, whats the word? politically "correct"? "moralistic"?? who cares
ps. btw i'm sure that reporter does hate him anyway. Good for him.
joesixpack whined: "You don't even know me."
MY COMMENT: You chose the moniker "joesixpack". Are we not entitled to draw some conclusions from your choice of screen name? Perhaps you should change to "joedaplumah".
from JoeSixPack...to JoePalooka
heh heh
Curtsie!
The Secret Service dropped the ball? These guys put their lives on the line everyday to protect the president regardless of party affilliation or personal like or dislike of the ones they are charged to protect. I don't see how the Secret Service could have prevented this from happening short of making everyone attending the press confrence leave their shoes at the door before entering the room. I think you'd should reevaluate that statement, Bud.
Silly as that sounds, it wouldn't surprise me, considering the level of paranoia surrounding this presidency, if orders to that effect were issued from the White House for the duration of Bush's days in office.
Better yet, how about Bush just not conduct anymore press confrences. I certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over that.
If a foreign "leader" responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of you citizens resulting from a war on your country based on lies were standing in your midst on your home soil I think throwing a couple of shoes at him would be getting off rather lightly don't you think?
The video is here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7GaazqdvRI&eu...
I know this may be Heresy but I have to admit he stayed pretty calm...... Unlike the Coulter types that run from pies.
I expect that's the booze talking...
. . . after five plus years of war on Bush's watch, 4 million refugees forced from their homes, over a million civilian casualties, total devastation of Iraq's remaining infrastructure, a failed and corrupt reconstruction program, and popular opposition to America's continued presence, destabilization of the region - and all Bush gets is a couple shoes tossed at his head.
You're joking, right?
Where was the Secret Service???? Did you notice not one of them elected to "take a shoe" for the guy? LOL.
If they can't stop a shoe... heck, I expected to see a couple of diving blocks. I mean, my god, what if it had been a clog? Or an ice skate?
Disturbing????? WTF? He's a murderer and torturer.
..against anyone, but if the shoe fits, thow it at Dubya's head if one
can get close enough is my motto.
I can't advocate violence becasue I am a yogi. I can, however, observe it. (BTW I don't have a halo, either. Sometimes there is what is called "necessary violence," to prevent greater violence.)
Bush is apt to receive greater, and I'll be helpless to stop it. Oh well. I don't write the laws of karma.
uhh?? excuse me? that wasn't violence.
in middle Eastern countries, throwing your shoe at someone is a signal of extreme disrespect.
The aim is not to hit the person with the shoe, but rather to throw the shoe at the person by itself is an act of letting that person how low your image of him is.
The fact that he called Bush a dog as he threw the shoe sort of help drive the point home.
Sun, 12/14/2008 - 14:10 — Edwin
I can't advocate violence becasue I am a yogi.
I suppose that means you're smarter than the average Boo-boo...
And steal picinic baskets.
"Where was the secret service?"
They should've been throwing their shoes at that smirking prick as well.
The whole bush gang should have shoes thrown at them everywhere they go for what they've done to so many and with so much malice. I'm waiting for a pair to hit that fucker Paulson right on his bald head as he defends his bailout scam.
That man is a worldwide fucking hero! I wish he stuck that shoe square in that war criminal's lying ass mouth. I'm completely pissed that the guy missed.
The reporter in question is probably undergoing "enhanced interrogation techniques" at Abu Ghraib, as we speak. Lyndie Englund is more than likely being hauled out of mothballs for a special "encore" mission back to Iraq to deal with him.
Too bad Mr. al-Zeidi didn't get more for his money on those shoes. I would imagine he is in for world of hurt.
That someone who hates Americans so much could become President!
The door behind the podium, the video I have see shows them swarming out of that door.
I expect he's going to be doing more of it for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, I'd love to be a fly on the wall at Secret Service hq tonight. Maybe those guys just aren't enthusiastic about the job anymore.
Looks like even most Iraqis who he helped to liberate from the yoke of Saddam's oppression have had enough of him.
If he can't now point to "liberating" Iraq as one of his very, very few "accomplishments" in 8 years, what else does he have? His retirement years most likely will be filled with torment and loneliness. Don't be surprised if he takes to the bottle again with a vengeance.
His retirement years most likely will be filled with torment and loneliness.
Only if the press continues to publish reports of his crimes and he has to face myriad lawsuits. IOW, I don't believe for a minute that he'll regret what he's done but will be pissed that people won't leave him in peace.
Bush is a sociopath. He's got a clean conscience, because he's got none at all.
And totally has NO IDEA that his actions and more importantly, his INactions, have had and are having negative effects on people around the world.
WORST. PRESIDENT. EVER!
that people don't recognize how great he is.
Fox "News" will spin it this way...
The man meant to throw flowers, but since the liberal commie Dems won the recent election, all the flowers in Iraq died, leaving people to only throw their shoes in praise of George W. Bush.
... right up his fundament.
And the royal highness of Dis-information, Dana Perino, got a BLACK EYE in the melee that followed (poked in the eye with a microphone).
LMAO ... OMG, brings tears to my eyes ...
I hope the poor bastard (shoe thrower) doesn't get his feet cut off, or some similar Islamic punishment. Sheesh, ought to get a Truth in Journalism award, is the way I see it.
The man sought to have candy and flowers thrown at him for doing that. Somebody should give that guy the Iraqi Medal of Freedom!
I heard someone was using my nickname....must be the grammatically correct period after Col that allowed it...
Heh. Didn't know I had a clone on here.
Perhaps it is you who is the clone..ive been posting here for years... just a thought...
Did she really get hit in the eye?
I get the feeling Bush isn't going to be a frequent flier.
My bet is that the Secret Service is going to spend more money and resources protecting Bush for the next eight years than Obama. ANY TAKERS?
...the first ex-president that will require 24 hour secret service protection ... at his grave site!
Curtsie!
That's actually a good concern, because one of my new goals in life is to outlive that bastard by just long enough that I can take a dump on his grave. Then I can die in peace, with a smile on my face.
Bush reacted to that shoe throw quicker than he did to September 11th or Hurricane Katrina.
Hopefully, the next time someone throws something at his head, they'll aim better.
That's because there weren't any children's books in the room to distract him.
That's FUNNY!
I can't stop laughing!!!!!
Curtsie!
alright. Bush just ducked. If he hadn't he'd have gotten it right in the face.
That's because it was his butt(or head, I can't really tell the difference when it comes to Bush) on the line this time, instead of a bunch of faceless names on a casualty list.
what's the difference? Like Jack Handey said "If you see someone toss a mannequin from a window - go over and get it! Hey! FREE DUMMY!" See, now I know Bush was displeased because he's tall and I bet he wears at least a size 12. Stupid Iraqi. After all we've done for him, and all he can do is throw ill fitting shoes at our Feerlez Leedor? Damn. What an ingrate.
In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes is a show of respect when greeting your liberators.
Joe Biden is taller than George Bush!
I'd like to bronze the shoes and let him try again.
he he
I haven't laughed that hard for a long time. I really wish that one of those shoes had hit Bush; however, Bush has mastered the art of the duck and cover.
I cannot wait for this man to be out of office. I imagine that he will be booed wherever he goes once he's not president.
Lizzy! You forgot! Bushwacker and Pickles are retiring to Dallas!
These people LOVE him!
They take pride in associating themselves with any notoriety!
After all!
This IS the home of "America's Team"!
The Texas School Book Depository!
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison!
J.R. Ewing wannabe's!
Drug store cowboy's!
Why not now home of "America's Despot"?
Curtsie! (From Dall'ass')
glad to see we understand the significance of throwing of shoes.
Just like Iraqis beating of saddam's statue with shoes, Bush recieved the same insult.
I'm sure everyone attending were screened for weapons, and they positioned thepress farr enough away. (otherwise the thrower would have hit the target.)
The issues pertaining to the secret service, I'm sure there was an issue were the Iraqi government had to demonstrate they could provide the appropriate security for a head of state, so they had to use their people and their vetting techniques.
Guess they showed they can't protect anything, so Mike warners words will ring true..
Bush is responsible for the deaths of more innocent Iraqis than Saddam Hussein was. Fitting he should get the same treatment at the toppled statue of Saddam. I only wish Cheney were there and the man had two more feet.
Lame DUUUUUCK!!!
Bwah, hahahahahahahahahaha!
Look like Bush's duck and cover drills in grade school finally paid off. Good thing he didn't start drinking till junior high or he might of missed the instruction.
OK that made me laugh, (Lame DUUUUUUCK), I love it.
That would be a great title for the Daily Show piece, that I'm sure we'll be seeing Monday night on this incident.
the New York Post ran with it today, beating Stewart to the punch(line). Damn you Rupert!!! The New York Daily News' entry was a solid "Shoe-icide Attack".
and they tackle him.
Maybe the US can ship a load of 'Non-lethal'
bullshitTasers over there to deal with people who take umbrage at being bombed to fucking bits For no fucking reason at all during the last 5-6 years, and of course, to deal with all of the unruly able-bodied survivors.not really someone seemed to have took him down from behind at the 2nd shoe
hahah.. 2nd shoe...
And that idiot in front of him stands up tryin to be a hero thinking hes all hard and shit. Gets in some stupid karate stance almost, Rofl.
Bush forced on them. The man should stay the hell home!
Lame DUUUUUCK!!!
Ok, that was pretty good.
I would have like to have seen 'Iraqi poops in shoes, throws shoes at president.'
How much trouble would a person get into if they mailed shoes? Buy some toy shoes of some kind and mail them as a going-away gift?
..that was exactly what I was thinking. I have quite a few pairs of old, stinky, pointy-toed shoes that I think would be just perfect for Dubya, yew betcha!
Shit, I'd clean out my local thrift store and send em.
din't just send shoes, send PRETZELS too!
we gotta send him old smelly shoes STUFFED with pretzels!
If only the American press had been able to ask more pointed questions of Bush than the Iraqi who wished to justifiably take out his anger on the American leader who has caused so much misery and suffering to his fellow countrymen and women along with the children who have been, like the Afghans, the victims of American imperialism and aggression. It would not be surprising, with the new president-elect intent upon escalating the violence in Afghanistan, to see the same thing happen to Barack Obama.
They don't need tasers. Iraqs constitution governs by sharia law. They will probably chop off his arms.
The Iraqis will give him a medal, if they don't, when we are gone they will lose their heads.
Any Iraqi that wishes to live in Iraq after we are gone will want to throw their shoes at Bush.
For this Iraqi journalist it will be a red badge of courage. He is a national hero.
In fact, he is very likely a hero world wide.
George W Bush is the most hated man in the world. Or he should be.
It would be nice to see the Iraqis raise up a statue of Dubya...just so they can turn around and tear it down again.
When does Cheney make his Iraqi farewell tour?
I hope someone takes him dove-hunting . . .
Still no flowers and candy.
someone who's a better shot than Cheney.
Who said he missed?
I have one word:
AWESOME
Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. That was PRICELESS.
The world's getting to be a tough place for war criminals these days.
other presidents learned not to piss so many people off.
As a US citizen I consider the shoe thrower to be a true Hero and a Patriotic Countryman!
Unfortunately, GWB isn't even worth a pair of ratty old shoes. I feel bad that this guy wasted a perfectly good pair.
..only because he missed.
Those shoes looked like Bass Weejuns from Dillards to me.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!
I wish Helen Thomas thought of that.
In that area of the world, shaking ones shoes at someone was the height of insult, comparable to our kiss my ass. I heard of one politician who collapsed and may've died as he passed through a crowd shaking their shoes at him.
And this is probably the supreme insult, to throw one's shoe
Way to go guy!
Helen would have forgone the shoes and went straight for her dentures. Both uppers and lowers.
What a fitting way to send off the loathed president ever with a couple of shoes being hurled at you. I think a majority of Americans would do the same thing if they knew the Secret Service wouldn't be on them like stink on shit and throw em in jail for doing it. Get that guy's address so I can mail him a medal of freedom!
Forget dissent, "shoe throwing is patriotic!" hahahaha.
'Twas a better insult than even Kruschev wacking the table with his shoe!
Real jounalism has come back.
Well he's always got Texas,
DAMN!!!
The papers are all agog he's moving back here
But then they are also because the Jonas Bros. are buying a house here too
I'm not sure which is more annoying to listen to.
Rumor has it his new neighbors in Dallas have their shoes on the front porch waiting for him.
White House propagandist Dana Parino got a black eye to boot! No pun intended.
How's that karma workin for ya sista?
good one, Gunsandbigots!
Ahh, watching that clip was ever so satisfying! Beautiful.
AWESOME. Totally fucking awesome. I love Muntadar al-Zeidi. Now I can go to work happy today.
Maybe people will begin throwing their shoes at Paulson...Pelosi...Reid...there are so many targets, but also so many shoes.
Sounds like Payless will be the only corporation turning a profit.
I think the diaper industry is doing pretty well due to the GOP.
Because they're not dying off, or because they're breeding?
I have several pairs of shoes I would like to get rid of. Every place this asshole goes, he should be rediculed for the amount of death and destruction being caused from his orders to go to a war of choice.
Too bad he missed.
I think an Iraqi has every right to throw shoes at him. Good for him. No one is listening so make your displeasure known.
They should build a statue of this guy in the town square!
...their town square also!
Probably already birds are crapping on him.
I noticed the shoe thrower wasn't wearing his leather jacket from Banana Republic today.
Or his American flag lapel pin. The man's a patriot nevertheless.
Bush having shoes thrown at him and his press secretary gets a black eye.
It's like a 3 Stooges episode! A sad and fitting metaphor for this administration. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk! Take that porcupine!
A
sadHAPPY and fitting metaphor for this administration.Fixed it fer ya.
That man was just thanking Bush and welcoming him as a liberator.
Yup, I'm glad he did it. GW deserves way more, but I'm happy to just see it happen.
Well done.
And Dana Perino gets a black eye in the ensuing scuffle.
That made my day.
The Iraqi journalist shouted: "This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog".
When he threw the second shoe he added: "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
Considering the untold human suffering and crimes against humanity this beast has committed by brutally attacking an innocent nation, this shoe throwing is nothing. Bush must be prosecuted so no American president ever commits murder in its citizen's names again.
Agree 100%
Did they take Dana to the hospital? Will Dana need to go on Worker's Compensation? She had better pray that Preznit Bush doesn't handle her claim the way he handled similar claims when he was Governor Bush.
Note to Condi: Don't bring anymore 5th Avenue shoes to the White House. The preznit has a new phobia.
Wait for the repugs to somehow spin this into liberals being no better than this reporter
And bias in the media.
Who cares? I'm sick of "worrying" about what they think. This reporter is a far better and braver person than me.
(Not to be confrontational ysb. Just the facts.)
I'm not "worried" about it; just predicting it.
I know. You're a clever guy.
Was that a shoe thrown at me?
I applaud the reporter for at least letting his outrage been known. It may have not been a conscious decision on his part as much as it wes a knee jerk reaction to being in the same room as that a-hole.
I'm surprised Bush didn't grab a baby and hold it out in front of him.
I always thought Bushie had a lot of Greg Stillson in him.
Yeah, but the whole idea was to do that BEFORE he became preznit! Where was Johnny al Smith with the shoes ten years ago???
Well, there wasn't a baby available, and Dana and Maliki were both too heavy to be useful.
Poor poor Dana. I bet it's not every day she gets hit in the eye with a microphone, sadly.
couldn't take the lies anymore. It's a fitting and poetic payback for Perino. Sweet!
I can picture a children's book by the same title, and maybe even a Christmas
special :D
I like your ideas!
After the shoes the Bush Iraqi press conference melee really ensued http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwirWWnzJKM
Poor George Bush. Shoes today and brickbats for the rest of his life.
The brutal, illegal, torturing, occupying force in Iraq might now force them all to go shoeless. I wonder if dung is also an insult there? Bring it on!
Yes, I laughed, but it really is not funny. Can anyone recall in the history of the United States one of our Presidents having a similiar situation? This is so not funny. In my opinion, the man must have some sort of mental condition, to continually seek out respect, and constantly get shoes thrown at thim. Some say insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Or maybe the only available news channel in the white house is fox news...
It's like having Rodney Dangerfield for president. No respect at all I tell ya, no respect!
Yes, it actually is funny, this mans presidency has not been funny at all. We are viewed as pompous assholes everywhere in the world because of his antics. Thank God for Obama, we may have a chance to restore the admiration of the planet. For now we are just a bunch of fools that voted for a dumb ass named George.......
He was given the first election the the Supreme Court and he stole the second election as evidenced by his low poll ratings right after the election.
That guy didn't just lob the shoes at W's head, he rifled'em like a pro pitcher! Get this guy a MLB contract.
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