An Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes and an insult at President Bush, without hitting him, as the US president was shaking hands with the Iraqi premier at his Baghdad office on Sunday.
As the two leaders met in Nuri al-Maliki’s private office, a journalist sitting in the third row jumped up, shouting: “It is the farewell kiss, you dog,” and threw his shoes one after the other towards Bush.
Maliki made a protective gesture towards the US president, who ducked and was not hit.
The journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia channel which broadcasts from Cairo, was removed from the room by the Secret Service.
Soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture. After Saddam Hussein’s statue was toppled in Baghdad in April 2003, many onlookers beat the statue’s face with their soles.
Some Iraqi journalists stood up to apologize.
The White House said Bush ducked to avoid the first shoe, while the second narrowly missed the president.
Bush said: “Thanks for apologising on behalf of the Iraqi people. It doesn’t bother me. If you want the facts, it was a size 10 shoe that he threw”.
Playing down the incident, the president later added: “I don’t know what the guy’s cause is… I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it.”
(Source: Breitbart)
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23 Responses
The President has a good sense of humor.
What hakaras hatov. He rescues these people from saddam, stays and fights all their terrorists, and this is what he gets. They don’t deserve all the good he’s done for them.
That journalist doesn’t know what the phrase “Hakoras Hatov” is.
I guess that guy liked it better under Sadam Hussein.
That’s the ‘Hakoras Hatov’ America gets, the same insult they lashed at Saddam, whom Bush removed…
I always thought he should be shooed out of office.
Playing down the incident, the president later added: “I don’t know what the guy’s cause is… I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it.”
I do know the cause-the shoe smelled so bad………….
What a lack of Hakoras Hatov!
Remember Secretary of State Schultz?
When he was appointed, our Oilom was very concerned. Soon Schultz got to know the Arabs first hand for what they stand for. He started to hate them with a passion.
Don’t discount Obama yet. He’ll get to know this bunch too.
#2, the whole war is just about oil. Quite frankly President Bush does not give two hoots about the people of Iraq. If he were so concerned about Human rights, he would intervene by Darfur, where over 6 million people have been killed since 1996. If he were so concerned about human rights he would bomb every third world country where human rights are ignored. Lets be realistic , it was all about the interests of the USA. The US always cares only about themselves and their bottom dollar. History had proved it. Just look at world war two. They only got involved, once their interests were being threatened.
maybe somebody else will recall better, but I think this isn’t the first object hurled at the president in a foreign country.
Say what you will about Bush and his presidency, you gotta love the man’s poise and composure. He deftly ducks under both shoes and stands there smirking all along….
wow the pres was good
#9, no one’s saying bush didn’t do it to protect America’s interests, but he still made Iraq a much better place.
the president really has sole 🙂
Please can someone post a link of the video of this?
That guy who throw the shoe will be punished by his boss. The boss will ask “How could you be so stupid that you miss it” ?
A fitting end statement for Bush’s involvement over there.
I couldn’t help but think of the following Posuk which appears in Tehilim 60 and 108, both posuk 10. (The fellow threw two shoes)
עַל-אֱדוֹם, אַשְׁלִיךְ נַעֲלִי
We are certainly living in momentous times.
To #9- Ostrovsky,
I presume you are Jewish because you are blogging on YWN, but your statements aren’t. How do you know that the President doesn’t care about Darfur? Iraq started this war by invading Kuwait.
They didn’t follow the post war agreements- therefore the second war and also it is part of the war on terrorism. Iraq was left alone for years before this war. Iran has still not been attacked. Just because you are the president of the USA doesn’t mean you can go invading other countries where they don’t have civil rights; you have to have an international legal right before invasion. Your liberal commie comments are Anti-Torah (ever hear of Hakoras Hatov- Pres. Bush has basically kept the terrorists at bay since 9/11.) and Anti- American. Why don’t you move to a commie or arab country -where if you spoke against the President or Dictator, they lock you up and throw away the key.
To #19, Health.
Post number 9 is not so wrong. In fact, many valid and good points are made. The reason I am posting to you is due to the very lowly and petty position many take where they try to validate ones Jewishness when anothers’ views on secular subjects dont fit in with the accusers status quo. How dare someone tell another something about them “is not Jewish” on these posting boards when dealing with secular and non halachic matters.
I can take several of your matters to task such as your assertion that Torah contains no elements of liberal or cummunal viewpoints whereby having a liberal or communistic view, if that is what one has, is to be found nowhere in the Torah. You are wrong!
Your other points are not Jewish in the absolute sense either, but I dont have time to write a very long post.
My suggestion is unless someone is advocating something clearly against Torah principles, dont play the “I’m a better Jew than you” card with regard to differing opinions on current events. It’s annoying and against the Chofetz Chaim’s recommendation that any annoying behavior should be avoided.
AN ACT LIKE THIS IS MORE SERIOUS THAN YOU THINK. IT IS A CALL TO REBELLION, AND IT MAY AWAKEN OTHERS WHO HAVE THE POWER TO ACT.
Deep,
Thanks for the CAPS, we’re all shaking in our pants now!
To #20,
How come when I curse out a lib Commie all the libs come out of the woodwork to attack me?
What I was saying was that his statements are Anti-torah because he has no Hakoras Hatov to Pres. Bush. Hakoras Hatov is one of the tenements of torah. I wasn’t commenting on Socialism or Communism per say. That is for another discussion whether it is al pi torah.
BTW, what valid points does he mention? We all have heard these so called points time and again from the libs. You libs have to start thinking for yourselves and not just repeating the mantra you heard on NPR and others!