Iraqi Who Threw Shoes at George Bush Hailed as Hero (Attacked Planned for Months)

Times Online ^ | Monday, December 15, 2008 | Philippe Naughton

[kristinn]

The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush during his farewell visit to Baghdad was hailed a hero in the Arab world today as thousands marched to demand his release.

Muntazer al-Zaidi tore off his shoes and flung them at Mr Bush as he stood beside Nouri al-Maliki,

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"This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq," he shouted before being overpowered by security guards and bundled out of the room.

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Al-Zaidi worked for the independent Iraqi television station al-Baghdadia, which is based in Cairo. Colleagues said that he "detested America" and had been planning such an attack for months.

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Al-Zaidi is a Shia Muslim in his late 20s who was kidnapped by an unknown insurgent group in November 2007 and held for more than two days. He said at the time that the kidnappers had beaten him until he lost consciousness, and used his necktie to blindfold him and his shoelaces to tie his hands together.

Among those leaping up to support al-Zaidi today was Khalil al-Dulaimi, Saddam's former lawyer, who said he was forming a team to defend the journalist and that around 200 lawyers, including Americans, had offered their services for free.

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“The flying shoe speaks more for Arab public opinion than all the despots/puppets that Bush meets with during his travels in the Middle East,” said Asad Abu Khalil, a popular Lebanese-American blogger and professor at Stanislaus University in California on his website at angryarab.blogspot.com.

An Iraqi lawyer said that al-Zaidi risked a miminum of two years in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state, but could face a 15-year term if he is charged with attempted murder.

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[kristinn]

It's amazing how the media can't find any Iraqis who are angry at the shoe-flinger.

Here's one.

[basil]

I need some clarification from this shoe throwing "journalist". Was he throwing shoes at President Bush to protest all the widows and orphans of Saddam's regime?

I didn't think so.....

[Dallas59]

Not to mention all the Iraqis beheaded by the Islamic “Freedom Fighters”...

[ladtx]

Someone needs to let the Iraqi’s know that in the U.S. throwing a shoe isn’t an insult it’s what little girls do.

[Sacajaweau]

Bush was amazingly cool through this. Obama would have immediately exited.

[Redbob]

You go to his webpage, that so-called “angry arab” apparently has a real shoe fetish!
He sounds like he could use a little quality time with a therapist...

[caver]

“Attacked Planned for Months”

I thought this was a surprise visit by Bush?

[Redbob]

"Someone needs to let the Iraqi’s know that in the U.S. throwing a shoe isn’t an insult it’s what little girls do."

And the Iraqis throw like girls too!
LOL!

(Wonder if they wear pigskin shoes...)

[penelopesire]

I’d like to know if this ‘Iraqi journalist’ was ‘trained’ at George Soros’s ‘Institute For War and Peace Reporting’. What you wanna bet that some Code Pinkos at this institute helped this journalist ‘develop’ his views?!

[raccoonradio]

How they’re treating it at the lefty Boston Phoenix:

http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/phlog/archive/2008/12/14/if-the-shoe-fits-dodge-it-dubya-under-attack.aspx

>> Why didn’t American journalists think of this sooner?

And a comment from “Boston Knucklehead”:

>>I love it how Bush after says he doesn’t know what the guys “beef” was. Well lets (sic) see you invaded his country idiot.

[MountainWoman]

Hate to break it to this mongrel, but his attack failed...HE MISSED!!! TWICE!!!! hahaha

[Holicheese]

They should make him happy and treat him like Saddam would have. Throw him in a plastic shredder!

[50sDad]

Hey, crybaby...our astronauts put their footprints all over your holy symbol, the moon forty years ago.

[muawiyah]

This Zaidi puke was tossing shoes at "W" because he wants the plastic shredding machines brought back as a disciplinary tool.

Iraq is so full of totally whacked out crazoids that it isn't funny.

Thankfully there are fewer of them now than 5 years ago.

[Thebaddog]

This is typical muslim alternative reality. How could it have been planned for months? We heard about the visit on Saturday. Do you think that the Americans in Iraq would be less security conscious than we are here? No.

[Yo-Yo]

Isn’t it a wonderful demonstration of Iraqi democracy? Had this reporter done a similar stunt under Hussein’s regime, his family would have been rounded up, the women placed in rape torture cells, and he would have been executed.

Today this same ‘reporter’ throws his shoes at the leader of the Free World, and he not only lives to tell about it, he will most likely only face a civil fine.

[VanillaBlizzard]

HAHAHA only one to mention in yet this morning....we don’t care what it means OVER THERE to throw a show, we know what it ACTUALLY means.

[abb]

I’m thinking we should start chunking shoes at the Drive-Bys...

[flyfree]

Probably a Sadrist

[sazerac]

There’s a website I sometimes visit and I’ve never till now heard the democrats at the site say a good word about Bush.

They almost unanimously think he was awesome dodging the shoes and taking it so well.

Then you go to DU and not one of them will say such a thing.