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Bush 'Not Insulted' by Thrown Shoes
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News —
... guys were just besides themselves about, they felt like he had disgraced their entire press corps and I frankly, I didn't view it as, I thought it was interesting, I thought it was unusual to have a guy throw his show at you. But I'm not insulted. I don't hold it against the government. I don't think the Iraqi press corps as a whole is terrible. And so, the guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is. But whatever it is I'm sure somebody will hear it. Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/BushLegacy/story?id=6460...
The Bush presidency comes to a figurative end with flying Iraqi footwear
pandagon.net - we are the public option —
by Pam Spaulding
OMG. This is outlandish, a real cap to the Bush presidency. An Iraqi journalist gives a kiss off to Bush by throwing his shoes at him during a farewell press conference. Bush’s comments afterward are asinine.
CNN’s Michael Ware said the shoe assault is the height of insults for Iraqis, reserved for the likes of Saddam Hussein. A translation of what the journalist said to Bush when he threw the shoes:
First Shoe:
”This is the gift from the Iraqis— this is the farewell kiss you dog.”
Second Shoe: ...
What the Shoe Attacker Said to Bush
Tennessee Guerilla Women —
Quote of the Day "This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." -- Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at Bush Mr Zaidi yelled the words in Arabic while hurling both his shoes at the head of George W. Bush. Iraqis ...
Secret Service Shows Unsual Restraint in 'Bizarre' Shoe Incident
Political Radar —
Previous | Main Secret Service Shows Unsual Restraint in 'Bizarre' Shoe Incident December 15, 2008 11:42 AM ABC News' Ann Compton Reports: U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington are making no comment, at least not yet, on the incident which President Bush called "bizarre" but which could have turned very ugly indeed. Within seconds after an Iraqi journalist hurled both his shoes and narrowly missed president Bush's head at a Baghdad news conference, agents on his security detail could be seen swarming both the president and the journalist, who had been tackled from behind and brought to the floor apparently by other ...
Bush to Truth: So What?
Firedoglake —
My friend Richard Smith at VetVoice -- aka RockRichard -- has a great catch from George W. Bush's exit interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz after getting shoes thrown at him in Baghdad. One of the things that Muntader al-Zaidi, a 28-year Iraqi journalist, yelled at the disgraced outgoing president as he threw his shoes in disrespect was "This is from the widows, the orphans and those killed in Iraq." And here's a perfect example of why. Look at what Bush tells Raddatz about Al Qaeda in Iraq: ...
Shoes for industry! Shoes for the dead!
The Reaction —
By Carl Despite the igominy of suffering the worst insult an Iraqi can afford, short of shooting him, George W. Bush managed to steal some of Obama's thunder and theme today, and showed that he is still going to either extricate his legacy or go down whining: The most recent draft stipulates that American forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the country by the end of 2011, and contains amendments made by the Americans in response to Iraqi demands made last month. "The ...
'So what?'
Political Animal —
'SO WHAT?'.... I'd like to think those responsible for the war in Iraq would know not to take a lackadaisical attitude towards the consequences of that war. If only that were true. In an interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz yesterday, the president reflected on the war, saying, "One of the major theaters against al Qaeda turns out to have been Iraq. This is where al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand." Raddatz interjecting, noting that Iraq was not a major theater for al Qaeda until after the U.S. invasion. "Yeah, that's right," the president said. "So what?" ...
Muntadar al-Zaidi
Comments from Left Field —
So, I have a question. If the shoe-hurling incident yesterday proves that Iraqis are now free to express anger toward their government Pres. Bush, knowing they will not be tortured or murdered, then why does nobody seem to know what happened to Muntadar al-Zaidi after he was dragged, screaming, from the room where the press conference took place? Where is he right now? What are the charges against him if any? Do his relatives and friends know where he is? I read in one of the news articles that he was being interrogated to find out if he had been paid to throw the shoes and if so who paid him. What does that mean? Is he ...
Commander Clueless
The Reaction —
By Libby Spencer I'm afraid I have to disagree with Carl. While I also like to think the best of others, I don't see any evidence that Bush has learned his lesson. People seem to be focusing on Bush's remarks about AQ in Iraq during this interview conducted shortly after the shoe throwing incident in Baghdad. But I thought this exchange was just as telling: Raddatz: It's also considered a huge insult in this world, the sole of a shoe, throwing a shoe. Bush: I guess. Look they were humiliated. The ...
Off with Martha Raddatz's head!
AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth —
I think Bush wanted to throw a shoe at her: BUSH: Clearly, one of the most important parts of my job because of 9/11 was to defend the security of the American people. There have been no attacks since I have been president, since 9/11. One of the major theaters against al Qaeda turns out to have been Iraq. This is where al Qaeda said they were going to take their stand. This is where al Qaeda was hoping to take ... RADDATZ: But not until after the U.S. invaded. BUSH: Yeah, that's right. So what? The point is that al Qaeda said they're going to take a stand. Well, first of all in the post-9/11 environment Saddam Hussein posed ...
A Sign of a Free Society
Daily Kos —
On Sunday, Bush offered an opinion to about Muntadhar al-Zeidi's shoe-throwing that was consistent with his long-held, somewhat idiosyncratic views on the nature of freedom and democracy. Martha Raddatz: Let's start with what just happened. And that is someone threw a shoe at you, whether it's an Iraqi reporter? President Bush: Yeah, I think it's a reporter. At least that's what they told me on the way out, that it's a person who works in the Iraqi press, stands up and throws his shoe. And it was amusing. I mean, I've seen a lot of weird things during my presidency and this may rank up there as one of ...
