Bush ducks two shoes hurled by Iraqi
By MIKE ALLEN | 12/14/08 2:05 PM EST
Welcome to Baghdad. An Iraqi reporter set off pandemonium Sunday by hurling two shoes at President Bush during a news conference that was the centerpiece of his secret goodbye visit.
Bush was cool under fire and prevented an even bigger incident by waving off his lead Secret Service agent, who was prepared to extract him from the room.
Video shows the president's lead agent rushing to the podium, but the president immediately and subtly motions to him that it's OK. The agent backs off.
The president successfully ducked both throws. Photos show him with his head down near the top of the podium. The embarrassing incident marred a visit meant to show off the improved conditions since the troop "surge" dramatically reduced casualties to U.S. troops.
The irony here is had this been a few short years ago, the reporter would be executed for such a transgression.
cat said:That's the ticket.....
Throw a Shoe at his ass.
I highly doubt a reporter would be executed for throwing a shoe at Bush a few years ago.
Since you think that all was sweetness and light in Saddam's day and you need a little help let me rephrase that for you.
”When he's in Egypt the Florsheim flinger never protests Mubarak's regular human-rights abuses, but then, this “journalist” is smart enough to fear dictatorship, so he keeps his wingtips laced and his mouth zipped about what he sees in Cairo.
Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.
A statement released by the government said Mr Zaidi's actions, which also included him shouting insults at President Bush, "harmed the reputation of Iraqi journalists and Iraqi journalism in general".
Correspondents say the protesters are supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr - a leading critic of the US presence in Iraq. Smaller protests were reported in Basra and Najaf.
The Iraqi government has demanded an on-air apology from his employer.
An Iraqi official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the journalist was being interrogated to determine whether anybody paid him to throw his shoes at President Bush.
He was also being tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were being held as evidence, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I bring greetings from a proud and grateful nation -- Merry Christmas to you, happy holidays. Congratulations on your inspiring accomplishments here in Iraq. And above all, thank you for volunteering to defend our country in a time of danger.
AUDIENCE: Hoo-ah!
THE PRESIDENT: And so I have a message for you and all who serve our country: I want to thank you for making the noble choice to serve and to protect your fellow Americans. Sometimes it can be hard to tell when history is being made, particularly if you're in the middle of the action. What you're doing in Iraq is as important, and courageous, and selfless as what American troops did in places like Normandy and Iwo Jima and Korea. Your generation is every bit as great as any that came before it. And the work you do every day will shape history for generations to come.
I guess what I'm telling you is your grandchildren some day are going to say, "Thank God you showed up and served."
After the shoe toss was over, and in a personal interview with Jennifer Lovey of the Associated Press, President Bush blamed everything on Saddam Hussein.![]()
He'll be gone in a month then we can all relax, for exaclty 60 seconds before Obama affirms his oath
Wow, he's delusional. I guess we knew that already though.