Iraqi press to President: "Shoe!"

[TropicalTroubador]

I guess Iraqis can do what ordinary Americans can't; express displeasure to Prez. Bush's face:

http://wonkette.com/404960/iraqi-journa ... ent-198354 (among many, many sites)

My favorite comment from Wonkette: "I can't believe that nobody in the Secret Service was willing to take a shoe for President Bush." Their response *was* a bit delayed.

Nice dodge though...one *does* wonder if he's had practice.

(Apologies if this is a double-posted topic; I can't find another one.)

[RinglingRingling]

Someone never should have issued the challenge, "Bring it on".

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Their response *was* a bit delayed.

The Secret Service would prefer to be standing beside him but they're not always allowed to do so. In a venue where everyone had been searched and been through metal detectors, there was less likelihood of a weapon present, so the agents end up farther away than they'd like to be. Considering how far away the lead agent was standing, I thought he did a pretty decent job of getting to Bush. Besides that, the Secret Service gets grief if they overreact, so it's a balancing act.....

[sonofabeach]

Hopefully they took that dude outside and beat him to a pulp

[parrothead3282]

http://bushbash.flashgressive.de/

[ragtopW]

Their response *was* a bit delayed.

The Secret Service would prefer to be standing beside him but they're not always allowed to do so. In a venue where everyone had been searched and been through metal detectors, there was less likelihood of a weapon present, so the agents end up farther away than they'd like to be. Considering how far away the lead agent was standing, I thought he did a pretty decent job of getting to Bush. Besides that, the Secret Service gets grief if they overreact, so it's a balancing act.....

Security agents nightmare.. one person who is determined enough
AND willing to take the punishment
unless you get lucky there is no way to stop them...

that said.. What is the bet on their next posts..
Alaska? one of the Dakotas? North Idaho??

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Security agents nightmare.. one person who is determined enough
AND willing to take the punishment
unless you get lucky there is no way to stop them...

that said.. What is the bet on their next posts..
Alaska? one of the Dakotas? North Idaho??

And in some senses, you make your own luck. Because of the security posture set for the event, the guy's "weapon" was his shoes.

[Burny Charles]

I'll probably get scolded, but I find that video clip extremely funny for some reason. Bush still has that smirk as he ducks out of the way of the first shoe. Its incredible though when it is played in real time how fast he gets out of the way. Then the second one the Prime Minister puts up a lazy hand like he's gonna swat a fly. I don't wish the President any harm but I guess if he joked about it immediately after than I don't feel bad laughing when I see the clip.

[Skibo]

I laughed. It was nice yesterday to get a break from political corruption and nepotism.

[f2cdlzrd]

I was wondering myself how he was able to get a 2nd chance. Thanks for your inside info on the Secret Service.

[green1]

I mean really, who throws a shoe?

[pbans]

I mean really, who throws a shoe?

Sick minds think alike......

[dean_siu]

http://www.kroma.no/2008/bushgame/

[bravedave]

I'd like to the see the tiny pieces left over if that jackass ever threw a shoe at Saddam.

I don't think it bothered the Prez. He ducked out of the way pretty nimbly (Pay attention, Jason Campbell!) and joked about it later. No harm - no foul.

Never attempt this stunt at home, brothers and sisters.

[flyboy55]

The journalist was apparently taken outside in the hallway and was being severely beaten by Iraqi security, his screams carrying into the room where Bush continued his news conference, all while Bush made the point that this kind of freedom of expression is what the new Iraqi democracy is all about.

Our media will try to paint journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi as some kind of "lone nut extremist" but his views are shared by many of his fellow Iraqis. The man's gesture of defiance and the personal insult inflicted on Bush has made al-Zeidi a hero throughout the Arab world. A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million to buy the shoes.

While many Iraqis are no doubt glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, many apparently also regard the experience of the last six years as being one of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction he used to 'claim' were the reason for invading Iraq, but I guess he did find a pair of dusty size 10s. Mission accomplished!

[green1]

The journalist was apparently taken outside in the hallway and was being severely beaten by Iraqi security, his screams carrying into the room where Bush continued his news conference, all while Bush made the point that this kind of freedom of expression is what the new Iraqi democracy is all about.

Our media will try to paint journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi as some kind of "lone nut extremist" but his views are shared by many of his fellow Iraqis. The man's gesture of defiance and the personal insult inflicted on Bush has made al-Zeidi a hero throughout the Arab world. A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million to buy the shoes.

While many Iraqis are no doubt glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, many apparently also regard the experience of the last six years as being one of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction he used to 'claim' were the reason for invading Iraq, but I guess he did find a pair of dusty size 10s. Mission accomplished!

Sure there are people who don't like what we are doing over there, and there are those that don't like Bush. You have stated in other threads that the Saudi's were the ones supporting Al Qaeda. Here you state that because a Saudi offered to buy this guys shoes it is evidence that the Arab world doesn't like Bush. Wouldn't this just be another example of your earlier point?

Family in friends serving in Iraq paint a very different picture than what you paint here. Sure there are people who don't like us there and they are vocal about it. Good for them, they have that right now. I am glad they are using it. Just like the ones who do like what we are doing for their country. Am I surprised they want us out? No, that is called national pride.

[krusin1]

The journalist was apparently taken outside in the hallway and was being severely beaten by Iraqi security, his screams carrying into the room where Bush continued his news conference, all while Bush made the point that this kind of freedom of expression is what the new Iraqi democracy is all about.

Our media will try to paint journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi as some kind of "lone nut extremist" but his views are shared by many of his fellow Iraqis. The man's gesture of defiance and the personal insult inflicted on Bush has made al-Zeidi a hero throughout the Arab world. A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million to buy the shoes.

While many Iraqis are no doubt glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, many apparently also regard the experience of the last six years as being one of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction he used to 'claim' were the reason for invading Iraq, but I guess he did find a pair of dusty size 10s. Mission accomplished!

Sure there are people who don't like what we are doing over there, and there are those that don't like Bush. You have stated in other threads that the Saudi's were the ones supporting Al Qaeda. Here you state that because a Saudi offered to buy this guys shoes it is evidence that the Arab world doesn't like Bush. Wouldn't this just be another example of your earlier point?

Family in friends serving in Iraq paint a very different picture than what you paint here. Sure there are people who don't like us there and they are vocal about it. Good for them, they have that right now. I am glad they are using it. Just like the ones who do like what we are doing for their country. Am I surprised they want us out? No, that is called national pride.

Well said G1. Like somebody said earlier, think what would have happened to the guy had he tried to do that to Saddam.

Freedom is a good thing for the Iraqi people. And that freedom has been bought and paid for by the blood, sweat, and tears of the American soldier.

[flyboy55]

The journalist was apparently taken outside in the hallway and was being severely beaten by Iraqi security, his screams carrying into the room where Bush continued his news conference, all while Bush made the point that this kind of freedom of expression is what the new Iraqi democracy is all about.

Our media will try to paint journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi as some kind of "lone nut extremist" but his views are shared by many of his fellow Iraqis. The man's gesture of defiance and the personal insult inflicted on Bush has made al-Zeidi a hero throughout the Arab world. A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million to buy the shoes.

While many Iraqis are no doubt glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, many apparently also regard the experience of the last six years as being one of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction he used to 'claim' were the reason for invading Iraq, but I guess he did find a pair of dusty size 10s. Mission accomplished!

Sure there are people who don't like what we are doing over there, and there are those that don't like Bush. You have stated in other threads that the Saudi's were the ones supporting Al Qaeda. Here you state that because a Saudi offered to buy this guys shoes it is evidence that the Arab world doesn't like Bush. Wouldn't this just be another example of your earlier point?

Family in friends serving in Iraq paint a very different picture than what you paint here. Sure there are people who don't like us there and they are vocal about it. Good for them, they have that right now. I am glad they are using it. Just like the ones who do like what we are doing for their country. Am I surprised they want us out? No, that is called national pride.

With all due respect to the efforts of your family and friends serving in Iraq, it seems the 'big picture' doesn't look so good. At least, not according to some senior military and government people.

The US-led coalition's $100bn effort to rebuild Iraq has failed amid bureaucratic quarrels, ignorance of Iraqi society and violence in the country, the New York Times has quoted a US government report as saying.

The newspaper said on its website on Saturday that it had obtained a draft copy of Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, which is circulating among senior officials.

Compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer, the draft text concluded that the US defence department issued false reports to cover up poor progress of the reconstruction effort.

Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, is quoted as saying that the Pentagon gave inflated figures on the number of Iraqi security forces on the ground.

The defence department "kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces - the number would jump 20,000 a week! We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000", he is quoted as saying.

The report says that Powell's view was supported by Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the most senior ground troops officer in Iraq, and Paul Bremer, the civilian administrator before the Iraqi government takeover in June 2004.

It concluded that the US government did not have the policies nor the organisational structure required to put the largest reconstruction programme since the Marshall Plan into place, the newspaper reported.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/ameri ... 33305.html

I am not surprised that reconstruction efforts are failing. There was little consideration given to the aftermath of an invasion by those who planned and promoted it - Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush - over the objections of many who knew better (a list of senior military people too long to list).

I'm only pointing out that the average Iraqi might not be expressing much gratitude at the moment because a decade and a half of U.S. led sanctions and war has turned the nation's infrastructure into a shambles.

Also, the press conference at which this happened was to promote the new security agreement between us and the Iraqis. The reason it has taken so long to hammer out such an agreement is that the Iraqis have wanted U.S. forces gone sooner rather than later, and with fewer U.S. troops remaining behind, while our government is more concerned with maintaining a permanent forward military posture in the oil rich country.

I think the journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi was expressing the frustration and anger of most Iraqis.

[krusin1]

The journalist was apparently taken outside in the hallway and was being severely beaten by Iraqi security, his screams carrying into the room where Bush continued his news conference, all while Bush made the point that this kind of freedom of expression is what the new Iraqi democracy is all about.

Our media will try to paint journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi as some kind of "lone nut extremist" but his views are shared by many of his fellow Iraqis. The man's gesture of defiance and the personal insult inflicted on Bush has made al-Zeidi a hero throughout the Arab world. A Saudi businessman has offered $10 million to buy the shoes.

While many Iraqis are no doubt glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein, many apparently also regard the experience of the last six years as being one of "out of the frying pan and into the fire".

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction he used to 'claim' were the reason for invading Iraq, but I guess he did find a pair of dusty size 10s. Mission accomplished!

Sure there are people who don't like what we are doing over there, and there are those that don't like Bush. You have stated in other threads that the Saudi's were the ones supporting Al Qaeda. Here you state that because a Saudi offered to buy this guys shoes it is evidence that the Arab world doesn't like Bush. Wouldn't this just be another example of your earlier point?

Family in friends serving in Iraq paint a very different picture than what you paint here. Sure there are people who don't like us there and they are vocal about it. Good for them, they have that right now. I am glad they are using it. Just like the ones who do like what we are doing for their country. Am I surprised they want us out? No, that is called national pride.

With all due respect to the efforts of your family and friends serving in Iraq, it seems the 'big picture' doesn't look so good. At least, not according to some senior military and government people.

The US-led coalition's $100bn effort to rebuild Iraq has failed amid bureaucratic quarrels, ignorance of Iraqi society and violence in the country, the New York Times has quoted a US government report as saying.

The newspaper said on its website on Saturday that it had obtained a draft copy of Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, which is circulating among senior officials.

Compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer, the draft text concluded that the US defence department issued false reports to cover up poor progress of the reconstruction effort.

Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, is quoted as saying that the Pentagon gave inflated figures on the number of Iraqi security forces on the ground.

The defence department "kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces - the number would jump 20,000 a week! We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000", he is quoted as saying.

The report says that Powell's view was supported by Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the most senior ground troops officer in Iraq, and Paul Bremer, the civilian administrator before the Iraqi government takeover in June 2004.

It concluded that the US government did not have the policies nor the organisational structure required to put the largest reconstruction programme since the Marshall Plan into place, the newspaper reported.

However, I'm sure that access to the oil is fairly secure for the moment.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/ameri ... 33305.html

Good plan... quote Al Jazeera and the New York Times to gain credibility....

[green1]

With all due respect to the efforts of your family and friends serving in Iraq, it seems the 'big picture' doesn't look so good. At least, not according to some senior military and government people.

The US-led coalition's $100bn effort to rebuild Iraq has failed amid bureaucratic quarrels, ignorance of Iraqi society and violence in the country, the New York Times has quoted a US government report as saying.

The newspaper said on its website on Saturday that it had obtained a draft copy of Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, which is circulating among senior officials.

Compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer, the draft text concluded that the US defence department issued false reports to cover up poor progress of the reconstruction effort.

Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, is quoted as saying that the Pentagon gave inflated figures on the number of Iraqi security forces on the ground.

The defence department "kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces - the number would jump 20,000 a week! We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000", he is quoted as saying.

The report says that Powell's view was supported by Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the most senior ground troops officer in Iraq, and Paul Bremer, the civilian administrator before the Iraqi government takeover in June 2004.

It concluded that the US government did not have the policies nor the organisational structure required to put the largest reconstruction programme since the Marshall Plan into place, the newspaper reported.

However, I'm sure that access to the oil is fairly secure for the moment.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/ameri ... 33305.html

Good plan... quote Al Jazeera and the New York Times to gain credibility....