Bush Dodges Shoes in Final Iraq Visit

by Karenke4 | December 16, 2008 at 11:24 am

862 views | 39 Recommendations | 22 comments

President Bush made his final visit to Iraq during the course of his presidency on Sunday. He arrived in Baghdad after a secret overnight flight to meet with head Iraqi government officials to discuss the recently updated security agreements between the two nations. President Bush pointed to the great strides that have been made in recent months towards an autonomous Iraq.

Not all Iraqis agreed though, as displayed by one journalist who threw his shoes at the President while shouting his disapproval on behalf of the families of those who lost loved ones during the war. Throwing one's shoes at someone, in Iraqi custom, represents extreme contempt.

“This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog” — and threw one of his shoes at the president, who ducked and narrowly avoided being struck.

As chaos ensued, he threw his other shoe, shouting, “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.” The second shoe also narrowly missed Mr. Bush as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki stuck out a hand in front of the president’s face to help shield him.

The journalist was quickly quieted and escorted out of the auditorium where Mr. Bush brushed off the incident and continued on with his speech, allowing that there was still much work to be done, but that steps had been taken towards a free Iraq in the future.

UPDATE- Dec. 16- Since then, the 28 year old journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi has reportedly suffered the consequences of his outburst, including broken bones and internal bleeding. Crowds of Iraqis have rallied in support of the reporter's actions, protesting against the war and for his release.

Afterward, Bush boarded a helicopter and flew to Camp Victory to meet with, and thank, American troops stationed there.

“Thanks to you,” he told the soldiers, “the Iraq we’re standing in today is dramatically freer, dramatically safer and dramatically better than the Iraq we found eight years ago.”

The optimistic flavor of the tour was in contrast to previous years, where Bush traveled only by nightfall and without any public knowledge. The new security agreements, effective January 1 include a complete withdrawal of American forces in Iraq by 2011.

The new U.S.-Iraqi security pact, which goes into effect next month, replaces a U.N. mandate that gives the U.S.-led coalition broad powers to conduct military operations and detain people without charge if they were believed to pose a security threat. The bilateral agreement changes some of those terms and calls for all American troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2011, in two stages.

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Blue Crush

at 13:45 on December 14th, 2008

I just watched that on CNN, it was funny. He took it in stride though, making light of it!

dunkelberg

at 15:16 on December 14th, 2008

Oh great. Now Homleland Insecurity will have us leaving our shoes at the door in all public buildings. The only good thing about it is that at airports once you take your shoes off for obscure reasons, you won't have to put them back on. They will be checked with your flight and offer another thing to be lost in transit.

denseatoms

at 16:16 on December 14th, 2008

I'd have chosen rotten tomatoes.

poor oligarch (not verified)

at 05:22 on December 15th, 2008

but then perhaps you're not an Iraqi.

think back to the fall of Saddam and the slippering his tumbled statue received!

Mikasi

at 16:23 on December 14th, 2008

You can have my Rogans when you pry them from my cold, dead feet.

Actually, it is a good thing he missed. This aggressive action might have led to overreaction and we might have ended up invading them. Oh, wait...

Jarrett Martineau

at 18:00 on December 14th, 2008

Crazy!

Laughing-Samurai (not verified)

at 18:05 on December 14th, 2008

Could this catch on? throw our shoes at bad politicians? Probably in the Sates they would just shoot you?

dunkelberg

at 18:49 on December 14th, 2008

Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, even if it is funny.
Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, even if it is deserved. Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, even if it is the worst president ever.
Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, even if it is the man who invaded your country using lies and fear.
Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, even if it appears it's as close as he'll ever come to answering for his crimes.
Violence against the President of the United States is wrong, no matter how satisfying.

Violence against George W. Bush is wasted; he's not bright enough to understand and is not worth doing the time.

Interesting...strikeouts appear in preview but not in post.

politisite

at 08:46 on December 15th, 2008

Agreed. This and the next President. And burning down former VP candidates churches is wrong...

dunkelberg

at 10:14 on December 15th, 2008

burning down former VP candidates churches is wrong...

Agreed

SOLARLIFE

at 04:51 on December 15th, 2008

Perfect report, Karenke4, you reported first, I am still experimenting, good splitting text, video, highlight, I will learn it. Hope still having shoes in America, or already declared as weapons of..not on sale anymore

poor oligarch (not verified)

at 08:24 on December 15th, 2008

The Guardian has more:

Support in Baghdad for Bush shoes protester

wbsfr8 (not verified)

at 08:27 on December 15th, 2008

-this fellow should be thankful he was not apprehended by Saddam's thugs, who would have possible fed this clown into the tire shredder to follow Hussian's failed soccer team, feet first and very slowly, as they were.

BTW -the other, the FREEDOM-LOVING journalists did apologize for this one idiot's acts and comments ( -he must have gotten his journalism degree in America).

dunkelberg

at 10:16 on December 15th, 2008

he must have gotten his journalism degree in America

Why would you say that?

Tina Kells

at 08:38 on December 15th, 2008

I can't believe how fast Bush was dodging those shoes.

Tina

dunkelberg

at 08:46 on December 15th, 2008

Perhaps the only thing Boy George is good at is dodging things, such as accountability, blame and truth.

politisite

at 08:47 on December 15th, 2008

When you are a president Bush.. you kinda have to be quick on your feet!

docboylive

at 13:32 on December 15th, 2008

It almost seemed that he was quite good at dodging shoes, as if he has had such an experience in the past. Good dodging!

158

at 13:16 on December 15th, 2008

This is just a minor incident, interesting but no big thing.

Good report

docboylive

at 13:33 on December 15th, 2008

I have to say, the whole episode was absolutely hilarious.

Sorry Mr President. I guess this is part of the job.

poor oligarch (not verified)

at 16:25 on December 16th, 2008

...seems to me the 'crowd-powering' of this story is ultimatetly contributing to its negation on nowpublic. by which i mean that a new contributor with a new 'story' butts in and actually, posivitely, really DISEMPOWERS the whole story, for their own ego. Shame!

(imho this is the most importantant story in the world just now?)

BTW, for the rest of the world this guy (Muntadar al-Zaidi, broken bones, injured eye and all) is the real hero, and you egotistic amateur journos, mossad trolls, etc, just suck in comparison