The hubbub over the assault on our president this weekend has been interesting to observe. Many in the Arab world are reporting this story with something akin to unsuccessfully repressed glee. Our president was able to move quickly enough to avoid the shoe, and he even displayed his sense of humor about the incident, pointing out that the man wore a size 10.
I'd really like to know what Muntader al-Zaidi is really so mad about. After all, a byproduct of our act of self-defense in Iraq has been our sponsoring of the development of democratic institutions. I know I'd love to see the results of him pulling a stunt like that under Saddam. Some poor slob would have to clean out the wood-chipper they fed Mr. Zaidi to. It hasn't been a trouble-free experience, but you would think that our president's commitment to a (better than) fair deal for the Iraqi people would be self-evident, even to a Baathist loyalist like Mr. Zaidi.
Maybe Iraqi citizens do have some worry of violence by other citizens upon their person, but the odds of having their government come in their house and kill their family should be pretty much zero now. That seems like a fair trade to me, but other Arab journalists are beside themselves with the latest insult that our president has had to endure.
Arabs see shoe-hitting and throwing as a grave insult, symbolizing that you are someone to be walked on, lower than dirt. He also called our president a dog. That's another big deal to Arabs. They see dogs as unclean. You won't find many Arabs donating their time or money at the Humane Society.
There were demonstrations of support for Zaidi in Mosul, Samarra, and Najaf. In Sadr City they burned American Flags and threw their shoes at cops who tried to control the unruly crowd. We tried to export democracy. Judging by this crazed behavior we have ended up with a bunch of Democrats.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Dr Dreadful
"Judging by this crazed behavior we have ended up with a bunch of Democrats."
Funny, I don't recall seeing much airborne footwear at the DNC. Or at Grant Park.
It seems to me you just wanted to seize on the shoe-throwing incident to hurl one or two cheap shots of your own.
2 - Mark Eden
This might be important to understanding the reason for flag burning and anger in Sadr City that the author asks about.
Mark
3 - bliffle
I only had to read these comments in the article...
"... the assault on our president...
...I'd really like to know what Muntader al-Zaidi is really so mad about....our act of self-defense in Iraq..."
...to know that it was not worth reading further.
4 - bliffle
Oh, and I hereby throw a metaphorical shoe at Patrick Gibson.
He'll survive the assault and be able to go on and make Iraq safe for democracy: our kind of democracy.
5 - Dr Dreadful
It's just struck me that this may well be the most momentous political incident involving a shoe since Krushchev.
6 - Jordan Richardson
Many Americans thought the shoe incident was funny, if news reports and "man on the street" interviews are any indication. And most Canadians wished they were the ones throwing the shoe.
I guess that makes us all terrorists/liberals?
7 - Baritone
There have been all the glib responses: The Prez has good reflexes. The reporter's got a good arm. Had Bush not seen it coming, he would have been nailed right in the shnoz. The Prez made a couple of good old boy jokes about it just to show us he's a regular guy.
What did Mr. Zaidi have to be pissed about? Oh, just the murder of several members of his family. His own imprisonment and questioning by American forces. I know, Iraqi lives are a dime a dozen, certainly not on par with American lives, but still...
While Mr. Zaidi will not likely lose his life over this incident, he may well wind up imprisoned for several years. (All of you who would want to do time in an Iraqi prison step forward.) There are reports that he has been beaten while in custody - that he has a broken hand, several bruises and cuts, and perhaps internal bleeding. But, hey, those size tens could have left a mark on our good ole prez. Measure for measure.
Keep in mind Patrick, the Dems kicked Republican ass this time around. Maybe, just maybe the Reps got something wrong during the past 8 years. Just maybe, but I'm just sayin'... It could be some conservative wing tips that you see flying through the air.
B
8 - Dave Nalle
I went shoe shopping with my daughter yesterday. Shoes are expensive. You'd have to be nuts to throw them at Bush. Plus the ground in Iraq is covered with rubble and broken glass. You're liable to hurt yourself without shoes.
Dave
9 - REMF(MCH)
"After all, a byproduct of our act of self-defense in Iraq has been our sponsoring of the development of democratic institutions."
- Patrick Gibson
I'm curious how you come to the conclusion that the pre-emptive invasion and subsequent occupation of a sovereign nation constitutes "self-defense"?
And Gibson, since you used the term "our," did you actually put your money where your mouth is by enlisting and volunteering for combat to help "sponsor democratic institutions" over there?
Or are you another of those who stayed back while someone ELSE fights your battles for you?
10 - handyguy
At least it knocked the Blagojevich scandal off its perch as top news story, for a few hours anyway.
If Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show had made these stories up, they would have seemed too farfetched.
The news since Labor Day has combined absurdist comedy and absurdist tragedy in ways we could hardly have dreamt of just a few months before.
What can be next?
11 - Baritone
STRANGER THAN TRUTH!!!
12 - Cindy D
"...a byproduct of our act of self-defense in Iraq has been our sponsoring of the development of democratic institutions...."
What act of self defense? And how did the U.S. accomplish the magical feat of supporting democratic institutions whilst being busy installing a form of government that Iraqis did not want, but that the U.S. wants? Do you understand what the U.S. did to their constitution?
The U.S. went in and designed a constitution for the Iraqis that is against what the Iraqis want for their country and supports everything the U.S. wants.
How is that democratic? It serves the U.S. global commercial interests not the social agenda of the type of government Iraq wanted to see.
13 - Zedd
Patrick Gibson,
You could have at least done some research on what this guy was ticked off about. Not doing so makes you sound like a "dumb American". You just rambles a bunch of feelings/pride related garbage that has no bases on reality. Again, this is no movie. Real people, real lives, real pain, real devastation, happy ending... very rarely.
14 - Hope and Change?
Gee...I wonder if they will be throwing Nikes at Obama when he goes there to surrender?
Where's the hope? Where's the change?
15 - Jet
H&C it's doubtful that Obama is going to surrender to anyone, and you know it.
16 - Glenn Contrarian
REMF - I get the first part, but what's the (MCH)? Ah, never mind, I think I get that too...good post on the Charlie-Fox over there....
To all others, given the same set of circumstances, I cannot blame the shoe-thrower - indeed, what would any red-blooded American have done to the leader of a foreign power whose armed forces had occupied America for six years, whose mercenaries were subject to NO law whatsoever, who had tortured our people, and who had allowed ethnic cleansing to run rampant? If an American had done the same to the leader of a foreign occupying power, would the rest of America not stand up and cheer raucously, beating our breasts and chanting in patriotic fervor?
....but because Bush is the American president, I have to sincerely disapprove and condemn the act if only because of the precedent it sets. We cannot tolerate such acts and must seek justice against the perpetrator, regardless of the fact that the intended target is - according to the strictures of the Geneva Convention to which we are a prime signatory - a war criminal.
Y'know, it does suck when the good guy has to be arrested for his acts - however justified - against the bad guy. It sucks, but it is absolutely necessary.
17 - Brunelleschi
Gibson's article is so bad, it reminds me of a high school comedy where the class nerd is reading his article and the whole class is making choking sounds and making fun of it...
Sell it for a script.
18 - Jordan Richardson
Gee...I wonder if they will be throwing Nikes at Obama when he goes there to surrender?
Surrender what, exactly? There is no war to surrender to. It's a botched occupation and I would imagine most Iraqis wouldn't be throwing shoes at Obama should he, in your terms, "surrender". Instead, I'd imagine they'd throw him a fucking parade.
19 - Jet
Trite pro-Bush snide remark, silly but pointed slogan for a name... I wonder who it could be???
20 - Jet
Bush knew/knows that it's virtually impossible to win his "war on terror" so all he has to do is stretch it out past when he leaves office so that his minions could claim that Obama lost it.
He would've done the exact same thing to McCain to save his ass, being as there's no love lost between the two, especially after how Bush slandered him in the 2000 primaries.
21 - Cindy D
Also, the U.S. CIA installed Saddam Hussein in Iraq under JFK.
And, the U.S. has repeatedly double-crossed the democratic Kurds.
The leaders of the U.S. have been such outrageous fuckwads I can't imagine how you, Patrick Gibson, or anyone else can support them.
Thanks for that article Mark, @ #2. It looks like it has some propaganda about Kissinger but I'm too tired to look at it further tonight.
22 - Cindy D
Propaganda about Kissinger in the "official draft document", not the article.
23 - Glenn Contrarian
"War on Terror"
"War on Poverty"
"War on Drugs"
"War on Crime"
Gee, what do these all have in common - they're 'wars' on IDEAS and STATES OF BEING and SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY...none of which will EVER be 'winnable'.
The best we can ever do is to minimize their effects on society. To attempt to do aught else is by definition quixotic.
24 - Mark Eden
Cindy, Naomi Klein it ain't. But pretty damning.
25 - Clavos
That guy has a pretty good arm. We should bring him over here, and instead of shoes give him immunity and a truckload of grenades and put him up in the Gallery of Congress.
Once he's done there, we could take him to the Senate.