I am proud of President Bush

[RecycleMichael]

Hell must have frozen over because I am going to write something positive about President George W. Bush.

He handled the shoe-throwing thing very well.

First, he was agile and ducked the shoes well. Then he remained calm and just stood at the podium until the security forces wrestled the guy to the ground. Then, he just shrugged it off and tried to not give the guy too much publicity.

Agile, quick reaction, calm, and poise. Where has this guy been the last eight years?

I would have froze and been hit in the head. Then I would have jumped over the podium and made the guy eat the shoes. Then, I would have make jokes about his "sole" and to "shoo off".

And that is yet another reason why I am not the President.

[cannon_fodder]

Damn that was funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uIj0YvDBKE







I agree it was handled well.  As I understand it Bush then called off his secret service and let the Iraqis take him into custody.  Today there are protests to have the man released... curious to see what happens to him.

[we vs us]

You kinda have to wonder where the Secret Service was.  That Iraqi journalist just walked right up there and started chucking point blank at ole 43.  

I mean, what if he'd come in wearing stiletto heels?  Coulda put an eye out!

[inteller]

i say we bring him over here as a backup for Bradford.  They guy has a great throwing arm.

[tim huntzinger]

I think it took a lot of guts for the guy to do what he did.  I wonder if this will catch on.

[rwarn17588]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

I think it took a lot of guts for the guy to do what he did.  I wonder if this will catch on.

Guts? Or stupidity.

Why would it catch on? Bush will be gone in a month anyway.

[azbadpuppy]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

I think it took a lot of guts for the guy to do what he did.  I wonder if this will catch on.

Throwing your shoes at someone in middle east culture is a sign of contempt and one of the highest insults you could do to someone. I think it has aleady 'caught on', as it has been done for centuries there.

I think it's amusing that this reporter is now an instant hero, and there are protests in Iraq demanding his release from prison.

[tim huntzinger]

quote:Originally posted by rwarn17588



Guts? Or stupidity.

Why would it catch on? Bush will be gone in a month anyway.

It's a thin line between the two (guts/stupid) for sure.

I do not know if Bush Derangement Syndrome is a permanent condition or if sufferers experience remission with the end of the administration!

[Wrinkle]

Try to imagine what the guy would've been in for if he had thrown his shoes at Saddam.

Probably a piece in each mass grave.

[Ed W]

Soooo, is Homeland Security planning to have all journalists remove their shoes before press conferences from now on?

[cannon_fodder]

quote:Originally posted by Wrinkle

Try to imagine what the guy would've been in for if he had thrown his shoes at Saddam.

Probably a piece in each mass grave.

The TV station he is running for said that his detention is harking back to the days of Saddam, genocide, and torture and they need to immediately release him to demonstrate the era of freedom that the US has instilled.  Now, the guy shouldn't face too harsh a penalty for an act that could be deemed protest... but the rule of law should still prevail and punishment for assault is still apt.  Certainly detaining him for a couple days isn't too much.

They lost my support with the Saddam comparison hyperbole.

[Ed W]

I think we've just seen a turning point in Iraq.  Their government requires that US troops be removed from all their cities by next summer, and that all US troops leave the country by 2011.  Security for the Green Zone will be turned over to the Iraqis next year (I think) and military operations including arrests cannot be made without Iraqi consent.  They want us out, so is it any surprise that their anger would boil over in a press conference?

[cannon_fodder]

They want us out in 2011.  And yes, it is surprising.  It's called professional decor. Journalists are not supposed to throw shoes at presidents.  I think that's a rule.

[rhymnrzn]

It should not be shrugged off or boasted that the man missed George Bush, or that George Bush dodged the shoe-casting: it should be pointed out, the man did not throw his shoes until after George Bush said the surge was a success (which is no small boast).  Also, while George Bush gat him out of the way of the shoe casting, the shoes hit the American flag right behind him.

[waterboy]

Did it seem odd to anyone that the speaker next to him didn't flinch? Didn't even move to one side. Its as though he knew the shoes weren't for him. Just curious to me.