> The Iraqi authorities have said the 28-year-old will be prosecuted under Iraqi law, although it is not yet clear what the charges might be.
> Iraqi lawyers have speculated that he could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al Maliki, who was standing next to President Bush during the incident. The offence carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
IMO the charges he ought to face should be no more than Assault and Reckless Endangerment. Give him a fine if he is a first-time offender and discharge without conviction.
There should be no charge for “insulting” — the West is trying to teach these people about Free Speech and political freedoms. Good ol’ President George W Bush led by example today and Good On ‘Im for doing so.
You're dreaming pal. It was a reckless assault which could have put an eye out.
Imagine what would happen if you threw your shoes at Obama.
Reasonable people would agree... On the other hand, reasonable people would also say, "damn, if he did that under Saddam, he'd be history!" Instead there are some there applauding him. While I agree that he should be charged for assault, you can pretty well bet that the rest of the muslim world will see this as weakness and simply embolden them, especially Iran.
Mark
Teaching someone about free speech? Give me a break. He should have been shot by the secret service when he drew his had back to throw the first shoe, let alone the second. Felonious assault and ten years minimum hard time would be appropriate. If you were stupid enough to try that stupid stunt in the U.S., that would be the minimum penalty. Free speech is fine, but speech has consequences, and so does battery. And screw the “Arab Street” that would applaud this act, the whole bunch of you aren't worthy to lick used condoms.
There should be no charge for “insulting” — the West is trying to teach these people about Free Speech and political freedoms.
Throwing a shoe at a person is not an example of free speech - it is an example of attempted assault. Yes, there could have been something dangerous in the shoe. What if someone would throw something like that at the president here in the US? I guarantee it would not be treated as a free speech issue. It was pathetic that the guards let the second shoe be thrown - much less the first one.
It's not a free speech issue, and it's not a laughing matter. I'm at the point where I wouldn't mind if we left these stupid people alone & killing each other like they've done since the beginning of time.