The American Spectator : The Sole of a Free Society

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The Sole of a Free Society

By George Neumayr on 12.16.08 @ 6:08AM

George W. Bush and the Arab world's celebrated shoe bomber.

Muntazer al-Zaidi had plotted his shoe-heaving for months, discussing it openly in the newsroom, according to colleagues.

So far it looks like a good career move. Job offers to host Crossfire on Al-Baghdadia Television may be forthcoming. According to programming director Muzhir al-Khafaji, Zaidi is an "open-minded man."

He now enjoys the accolades of the Arab world (while the restraining journalist next to him is reviled), and a note of sympathy has even crept into a few American reports on his deed. They report that he and his family have suffered much during the American occupation. Was Bush running the "risk" of minimizing the seriousness of his complaint by shrugging the incident off? a correspondent on MSNBC pondered.

Bush described the incident as a "sign of a free society," sort of like, he recalled, the time a Falun Gong member crashed a press conference at the White House. Iraq is evidently catching up to the free world.

But, alas, Iraq's old brutality, at least in some ways, stubbornly persists. Al-Zaidi, noted a few reporters, did get "beaten" as he was dragged away and the primitive propagandistic instincts of Iraq's Prime Minister kicked in: he wanted all footage of the incident confiscated. Reporters also noted that Zaidi is looking at possibly two years in jail, not for trying to bean Bush, but for embarrassing Maliki.

Bush acquitted himself well during the incident. He has crashed on his mountain bike a few times and choked on a pretzel, but even reluctant historians will have to acknowledge that his athletic side has proven helpful at several crucial moments during the war on terror. Before the eyes of the world, as Mark Steyn has written, he was able to throw out first pitches at baseball games effectively and now he has calmly dodged Zaidi's pair of shoes.

The Secret Service, however, looked pretty leaden. What happens to an agent who fails to take a shoe for the president? A kernel of a Clint Eastwood-style movie might be contained in this. Zaidi was screened, according to the Secret Service, but perhaps a more astute team would have looked into his eyes and seen his sole. That he managed to get two throws in, with only Maliki's hand to protect Bush, is astonishing.

Heretofore Helen Thomas and Adam Clymer had posed the greatest threats to Bush. But how could he have anticipated this burst of media bias? An administration famous for requiring passengers to take off shoes before boarding planes will now have to ask reporters to do the same before asking questions.

The thrown shoe holds great cultural significance, according to the press. It signifies that Bush is regarded by the Arab world as lower than the dirt on Zaidi's shoes. "It is the farewell kiss, you dog," Zaidi yelled.

Like a phone thrown down, a thrown shoe does offer a note of finality to a relationship gone awry, and Bush's press relations have been marked by nothing if not rancor. "Throwing the shoes at Bush was the best goodbye kiss ever," Musa Barhoumeh, editor of Jordan's independent Al-Gahd Arabic newspaper, told AFP. It vividly "expresses how Iraqis and other Arabs hate Bush."

Western freedoms, however, do come in handy at times, and Zaidi's editorial bosses are busy invoking them to call for his release from jail. "Al-Baghdadia television demands that the Iraqi authorities immediately release their stringer Muntazer al-Zaidi, in line with the democracy and freedom of expression that the American authorities promised the Iraqi people," they announced in a statement. "Any measures against Muntazer will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime."

The beneficiaries of Bush's "freedom agenda" once lifted blue fingers (after voting) to celebrate the new Iraq. But historians in tallying up his legacy are more likely to record with enthusiasm Zaidi's thrown shoe.

topics:
George W. Bush, Muntazer al-Zaidi

About the Author

George Neumayr is a contributing editor to The American Spectator.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (33) | Leave a comment

ddd| 12.16.08 @ 6:47AM

Yes this will go down as Bush's greatest accomplishment in office, "He dodged a shoe."

Kitty| 12.16.08 @ 7:12AM

I would have been more impressed had the offensive Zaidi thrown his shoes at Saddam. Of course, he wouldn't have lived to brag about it.

...

stu.b.con| 12.16.08 @ 7:24AM

ddd-who are you and your fellow teens going to make fun of when the obamessiah and his minions begin the foolishness?
will the empty suit be able to dodge the blago?

ddd| 12.16.08 @ 8:10AM

Stu.b
Who will I make fun of when Obama is in office? A simple question with a simple answer, Obama of course.
That being said, bush's dodge is still his finest hour.

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 10:01AM

As a liberal who has not supported most of Bush's policies or governance, I have to say that I was proud of Bush's nimble duck and the celerity with which he popped back up, as if to say "Is that all you've got?" to the shoe chucker.

Bush's policies have sometimes made me cringe and howl: I have to hand it to him, though. He made the country proud this time around, and his reaction after the event was funny and gracious.

I do hope this man is punished, too. Iraq has lived with years of chaos and violence: they must learn to govern themselves. How will it be for a democracy that cannot have press conferences because reporters feel comfortable throwing things at visiting heads of state? It might seem like a small thing, but they need to draw a line here.

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 10:02AM

Kitty --

If the shoe-thrower could have, he would have thrown much more at Saddam.

The reporter was Shiite and is actually angry about the surge, which has been relatively beneficial to Sunis. Had he been able to throw an ax at the Suni Saddam, I'm sure he would have.

Angelo Zenga| 12.16.08 @ 10:15AM

The "shoe" incident exposes two realities. First, the double standard of the U.S.A MSM who heraded the reporter I guess for his expression of freedom, while castigating Al-Zawahiri the Al-qeda guru a few weeks ago, for hurling some benign insults at "their" President elect Obama. The second is the remarkable progress done in Iraq under George W. Bush. Had this reporter done the same to Saddam Hussein, he would not have lived to tell the tale.

Michigan-Matt| 12.16.08 @ 10:53AM

I think the Iraqi journalist was just following the tradition of western press in expressing open hostility toward anything Bush... anything Cheney... anything American.

The Iraqi journalist will probably be nominated for a Pulitzer and get a teaching gig at Columbia or Colorado State.

Dustoff| 12.16.08 @ 11:35AM

Matt.

Don't forget a Nobel too. Granted they give it away for even less.

Anthony| 12.16.08 @ 11:41AM

Both Angelo and Michigan Matt have it exactly right. Frankly, I'm really reaching my saturation point on all this Bush Derangement Syndrome. Not knowing what could have been in those shoes, that might have seriously injured or killed the President, this ingrate should have been shot dead before the 2nd shoe left his hand. Or does the secret service need the approval of the U.S. Supreme Court and Dick Durbin before taking action? Things are really spinning out of control!!

kamel cetin| 12.16.08 @ 11:59AM

Jeremiah, you got what it takes to be a good Republican. Think about it, our door will always be open for gentlemen. ddd don't lie to us and, most of all, to yourself: you'll never, ever dare making fun of The ObaMessiah, and you know it.

Mike | 12.16.08 @ 12:02PM

Michigan-Matt
I think you mean Colorado College, but don't let a simple thing like getting your facts right intrude on your ideology. The Bush administration didn't.

Jeremy, Sorry about the "baiting."

Louis Jenkins| 12.16.08 @ 12:25PM

I have to agree with stu.b.con, if the guy had thrown a shoe at Sadamm his whole family, even the newsroom crew, would have been submitted to the shredding dept. But all is not lost, reports now indicate the would be assailant's throwing arm and ribs have suffered orthopedic injuries. No contract in the minor league for him. If the shoes had hit their mark the western press would have had a hay-day. But then the western press has been throwing the stinky stuff at Bush for eight years, and now at last it took an Iraqi reporter to stand up and be manly, unlike his American peers.

ddd| 12.16.08 @ 12:29PM

I mocked clinton for Lewinsky and cigars, McCain for being a grouchy old badass, and Bush for just about everything (some targets are way too easy). Obama has proven to be more difficult than bush, mostly due to Obama being a fluent in english, but he is starting to show some vulnerabilities. His ears were about all you could mock before but after blagogate there is the whole "chicago way" to expound upon.
You may be scared of the big black 'bama, Kamel, but I'm an equal opportunity torment .
That aside, Bush's policies were generally inane and I strongly condem Obama's expanded spending programs (even though he has 5 trillion to go before catching up to bush's deficit).

Dai Alanye| 12.16.08 @ 12:39PM

This incident and the Arab glorification of it truly symbolize the weakness and futility of their political and military cultures. No doubt it will loom large in their annals of victory.

The fascination with it of much of the American media symbolizes, in its turn, their pettiness and futility.

Alan Brooks| 12.16.08 @ 12:42PM

execute the shoe bomber

Dustoff| 12.16.08 @ 1:08PM

DDD..
Obama has proven to be more difficult than bush, mostly due to Obama being a fluent in english.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Are you kidding me. Obama can't say zip other than ahhh,ahh, ahhh. Long he has a telepromter he sounds great. Put this guy in the open and he just falls apart.

Dustoff| 12.16.08 @ 1:10PM

Mike
++++++++++++++++
I think Michigan-Matt hit it right on the head, but just maybe you let YOUR ideology get in the way.

ddd| 12.16.08 @ 1:22PM

dustoff
your right obama without the prompter is not good, with the prompter not bad. Bush with the prompter, three days rehersal, and an ear piece still sounds like, well, Bush.

danny| 12.16.08 @ 1:36PM

try throwing a couple shoes at obama during a presser in this country and i'll guarantee you will spend more time in the slammer than this guy ever will!!!!

Janice| 12.16.08 @ 1:44PM

People always act as if the sitting president is the first one to ever receive taunts and insults. I remember going to the theater to watch "Independence Day". The audience rose to their feet and applauded loudly when the White House was blown up. That was during the Clinton era. In a town known for voting Democrat.

Wait a little bit, and Obama will have his turn on the Comedy Circuit, just like all the other presidents before him.

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 2:10PM

Dai --

Actually, I'm reading dismay and embarrassment in the response of Arab journalists and intellectuals.

Some are celebrating what the sh0e-thrower did, but many more educated Muslims and Arabs are not at all happy about it. These are the people who are working to build a civil society in the Middle East.

As is often the case, "conservatives" are simply grouping all Arabs into a single category and making an unfair blanket judgment.

The ignnorance of the Arab world in this country is mind-boggling. It has led to at least two enormous tragedies in the past decade. God save us from any more.

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 2:18PM

Kamel --

Thanks for your kind words. I'm happy being a Democrat, though. I remain interested in what conservatives are saying.

My opinions on President Bush grow more complicated.

I genuinely appreciate two aspects of his presidency (in addition to performances like the shoe-incident, which I admire greatly):

1. His belief in our mission or destiny (even) to aid the cause of democracy in the world. It is unacceptable and dangerous (for us) that a billion Muslims cannot vote in meaningful elections, and I agree in principle that America has an important role to play in changing that. I admire Bush for articulating that idea (to the extent that he is capable of articulating ideas).

2. I believe this president understood the complexities of immigation better than most "conservatives" and most politicians in general. I think if he'd been more persuasive, his ideas might have brought us closer to stabilizing the boarder and dealing with immigrants already in the country.

Jon Sheahan| 12.16.08 @ 2:21PM

DDD...and all others: while there are many conflicting opinions pertaining to the policies, decisions, and actions of President Bush, this incident is truly bipartisan. As is the case with many on this blog, I not only oppose many of President Elect Obama's ideologies - I genuinely dislike almost everything about his personality. The thing to remember is, Geroge Bush IS OUR PRESIDENT - as Barrack Obama will be in a mere 35 days.
This piece of excrement had the audacity to throw a shoe at the sitting President of the United States - the leader of our great country, like him or not. While I support George Bush (though he has dissapointed me many times), I would be equally disgusted had the target been Pres Elect Obama. Tomorrow we can all go back to butting heads - as for today, can we "reach across the aisle" and be proud of our current president for remaining dignified, and be livid at the disrespect shown by a man who has our country's blood and treasure to thank for his freedom?

John C| 12.16.08 @ 4:57PM

I agree with Jon Sheahan. The "reporter" assaulted Bush, but he insulted me and my fellow Americans. Overseas, the president represents US, even more than himself. If someone were to do the same to The Queen or the president of France while in the Rose Garden, I as an American would be mortified at our lack of civility as a nation.

Alan Brooks| 12.16.08 @ 5:20PM

jeremiah sees how it is easy to generalize about Arabs but he doesnt see that it is easy for him to generalize about Christians and conservatives, who allow far more freedom to people here than Arabs will give to their own people. "Arabs treat women like garbage" has more truth to it than "US conservative christians are intolerant".
Intolerant because they wont let gays marry in CA; but in Arab nations gays have little protection.

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 5:48PM

Alan --

You complain that I defend Arabs over Christians, but I have no idea what you're talking about. When have I generalized about or attacked Christians.

I did say that there is a foolish tendency to generalize about Arabs in the "conservative" press. You could, I suppose, say I'm making an unfair generalization saying this, but I think that'd be a little lame and obvious.

When it comes to Arabs I don't think you know what you're talking about. I think you get everything you know about the Middle East listening to Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh.

Alan Brooks| 12.16.08 @ 7:15PM

i've visited Arabs for 25 years. the reason i did visit them is i came from a lib family that said be tolerant, even of depravity, and so many muslims are institutionally depraved!
Their kids tell me "marriage is when a man marries several wives". thats what the kids are taught. or at least the male kids... the females were in other parts of the houses, so i dont know what the females thought-- they are segregated. one older guy told me "its fine to marry a 14 year old girl; the Prophet and his descendants married younger girls. as you say, 'be fruitful and multiply' ".
well that a hell of way to do it.
"all swine are going to be destroyed", a muslim told me. weird.

now, they DO have a right to practice their religion but i dont have to like it.

Alan Brooks| 12.16.08 @ 8:16PM

actually, its true you shouln't generalize the situation in the mideast, or Arab immigrants. you cant. it's a third world mess, a semi-feudalistic mess.
why do you think they come here but we dont go to the mideast much? millions of them have immigrated here or emigrated elsewhere, but how many of us have moved to the mideast?

Jeremiah| 12.16.08 @ 9:06PM

Alan --

I conclude that you don't have the first idea what you're talking about. I don't know what you mean when you say you've "visited Arabs for 25 years." Whatever you've done hasn't taught you very much.

I think you're a man who is bigoted towards Arabs and Muslims. I think that's unfortunate, but not all that surprising.

But I don't see your other points as interesting or relevant. It's true. The USA is a wealthy nation with political liberties undreamt of in much of the rest of the world: more people want to move here than want to move to Syria. So what?

It's not a relevant, interesting, or significant point. It's true, but it doesn't prove or illustrate anything.

Alan Brooks| 12.17.08 @ 12:30AM

i visited mosques for 25 years, average once every six months.

you think conservatives are dumb knuckle draggers when they merely perceive things differently. why are cons more foolish than naive libs who think different peoples can coexist. We dont coexist. there is no 'us', only us versus them, we try to change the situation but... well we'll see.
Of course the shoe throwing incident is silly, infantile; however it is babyishly symbolic

Michele San Pietro| 12.17.08 @ 4:10PM

I think that stupid journalist deserves to go to jail, you shouldn't throw shoes at anybody, I am also sorry President Bush did not react more violenty. President Reagan would have reacted differently, there's no question in my mind about it.