Iraq Shoe Thrower, Muntadhar al-Zeidi, Wants Pardon According To Prime Minister's Spokesman

From AP
A spokesman for Iraq's prime minister says the journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush has asked for a pardon.

Spokesman Yassin Majid says that in a letter sent Thursday to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the journalist described his behavior as "an ugly act" and asked to be pardoned.

Majid says that Muntadhar al-Zeidi in the letter recalls the kindness the prime minister once showed him during an interview in 2005 and asked for al-Maliki to show him kindness once again.

Al-Zeidi, a correspondent for an Iraqi-owned television station based in Cairo, Egypt, could face two years imprisonment for insulting a foreign leader.

Reuters goes into more detail about the letter that Muntadhar al-Zeidi sent to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki:

"Zaidi said in his letter that his big ugly act cannot be excused," Majeed said...

...One of Zaidi's brothers said he had no information about him but found the idea he sent Maliki an apology unbelievable.

"This information is absolutely not true. This is a lie. Muntazer is my brother and I know him very well. He does not apologize," Udai al-Zaidi said. He added: "But if it happened, I tell you it happened under pressure."

Zaidi was brought before an investigating judge on Tuesday and admitted "aggression against a president," a crime that could incur a 15-year sentence, judicial officials said. He could face trial soon.

Comments

[HybridTea]

He has timed it well to coincide with George Bush's pardons - how can the Iraq PM refuse to pardon him when Bush pardons all those who were responsible for the Iraq war. If a world court decided to try Bush and Cheney for war crimes we wouldn't be so annoyed as we are at al Zeidi throwing his shoes at POTUS.

[AliMB]

bush has not pardoned a single person connected to the Iraq war policy. a world court has no jurisidiction to try bush or any high government official.

[spandautoseattle]

A world court is exactly what officials do fear. History. National jurisdiction doesn't matter in cases of @gression, gEnocide etc. No way out.

[FZliveson]

Why, you're just bristling with confidence and satisfaction, aren't you, AliMB?
Why to you think the Texacutioner is a huge land owner in Paraguay?
Hint---they have no extradition treaties around world court crimes.
Did you submit an application to be a house-servant in Paraguay yet?
Sounds like that'd be a great thing for y'all.

[JessWonderin]

Oh here comes the "resident" . . .

You MIGHT be surprised to learn the "world courts" DO indeed have "jurisdiction" . . . unlike Bush, the world does not beleive "Might IS Right" . . . ask a few Serbian "leaders" . . . or Eichmann . . . . 'course Bush et al COULD retire to Saudi Arabia like Uganda's Amin and live royally on the Carlyle/Haliburton "residuals" . . . .

[lungfish]

Free Muntadhar al-Zeidi !
Give him back his shoes.


Beat the President.

[MsAttitude]

Yeah, starting on 21 Jan 09!!!

[AliMB]

his shoes were apparently thrown away... the president is already leaving office, no need to "beat" him

[JessWonderin]

Aren't they gonn be in the Boosh Liebury????

[lungfish]

I must respectfully disagree. Dubya needs someone to cuff him around the head and ask him what his malfunction is, at the very least. True parity in Bush's "eye-for-an-eye" world would be death by Apache helicopter.....

[desktop]

They should not only free him, they should build a statue of him and run him for office. He is an Iraqi national hero.

[AmandaBC]

Second that!

[ceti]

The front page for this article makes it look like Al-Zaidi apologized, but then we find out on the second page the most crucial information -- that all this is according to Prime Minister's Spokesman. What kind of misleading headlines are these?

[Ray46]

I wonder what the penalty would be for an atomic wedgie?
Now that would be funny.

[marv 1602]

i think this sums it all up - Bush and the iShoe LOL - - http://ipopmyphoto/bush.adp

[gaines 440]

You people make me sick, this is the president of the United States, throw anything at him and go to jail; you people have not got a clue what patriotism is. Let him throw a shoe at Barack hussain and you would have a cow, I like his new pastor though Rick will make a good one. If you don’t like the U.S. why don’t you move I hear Russia is a nice place or maybe Cuba.

[whosyourdaddy]

True. In fact, should you have the temerity to make an unflattering remark about the P.E. here, many will become quite nasty and upset. That's if the comment even get's past the screener.

[OrganOfThought]

He is not the legal President of the US. He stole the 2000 election and the 2004 re-election. He is just the person in power. He deserves nothing but contempt for destroying the constitution he swore to protect, ruining our economy, and creating hatred for our country by attacking and killing innocent civilians.

[edwarvir]

gaines President Obama didn't invade these
peoples country Get a hold of yourself. We
are talking about Bush.

[whosyourdaddy]

Take another look at the photos. Those are American flags they are hanging shoes from. We invaded Iraq. He and many of his like minded buds in that part of the world would like to do you serious harm. And have been working hard at it for decades. They have already condemned the P.E. and have no use for him either.

[MsAttitude]

But our congress voted to do so. Who was in congress at that time?

[Bystander]

Effective January 20, Obama will be President and will be the object of hate of America by the likes of the idiot that threw his shoes at President Bush. Do you really think that Obama will be embraced by our enemies, particularly Islamic terrorists and the countries that aid and abet them? That would be incredibly naive. The President represents the country, and as gains_440 said, liberals would "have a cow" if this happened to Obama. I would too, because I view it as an afront to the office of president in particular and America in general. I didn't vote for Obama, but I would be outraged if he were physically attacked by ANYONE.

The shoe-throwing idiot would be dead now if he had assaulted Saddam or any other Arab country leader. Thanks to President Bush, our military, and America, Iraq has been liberated, and even idiots (in both the US and Iraq) have the freedom to protest without being executed.

[AliMB]

President obama has kept on bush's current iraq policy team, including Republican and Sec. of Defense Gates, and he has said that his withdrawal plan is contigent on iraqi security... he may have been against the invasion, but he knows that what Bush is doing right now is the appropriate course.

[amessenger]

Mock-Sargent Gaines -- your post has all the patriotism of a warm mug of ipecac. In IRAQ, they don't just send you to jail, they romp you like a prayer rug, break your arm, lacerate your eye and give you compound leg contusions or fractures; far-away and enough for a shoe toss.
Having a cow is an anatomical impossibility as well as a 50's
exaggeration of an angry reaction, you cannot even spell Hussein.
Pastor Rick was exposed by McCain at the church's pre-presidential debate as having given all the questions to McCain prior to the Q&A, while Obama didn't get them, yet O.H. (that's Hussein once again) spoke eloquently and made no mention of the "fix" that Pastor "Ick" errr --- I mean Rick gave Johnny Mac.
Patriotism is defini8ed as devoted love, support, defense and loyalty of one's country. It was in that interest as a patriotic and cultural statement that al-Zeidi threw his shoes, for it is George Bush and his personal war that brought the deaths of nearly 5,000 Americans, partial death of 50,000 more and hundreds of thousands of IRAQis.

[whosyourdaddy]

amessenger - Go to Berlin and give a cop some lip. You'll go to jail on a stretcher. Try it in Seoul, Mexico City or Montreal Quebec. Same result.

Would you mind linking me to a national story on the Pastor Rick thing. Sounds interesting.

Sorry. It's your war.

I've had the privilege of being allowed to immigrate here. Outsiders don't differentiate. They hate us all.

[Donnat]

Someone should throw a shoe at you for your support of war criminals. If you don't like OUR dissent, move to Iran, sounds like a theocracy is just what you're looking for.

[AliMB]

yes, i want to live in a country were different opinions are expressed by shoe throwing.

[whoknew---]

If Muntadhar al-Zeidi did apologize was it beaten out of him?....

Is it true he has broken arms and ribs to show for it?.....

[JessWonderin]

He signed the "confession" with his toes . . . his arms were still dangling limply at his side . . . wasn't "beaten", he tripped over the chair . . . .

[sparafucilli]

Come to America. Do the talk shows. Write a book. Leverage Larry King. Promise the judge a percentage. You'll get off and clean up.

[AliMB]

because of his sometimes radical view which often show support for insurgent groups currently attacking US forces, i doubt he would get a visa... but i would be interested to hear what he has to say, and explain why a professional journalist finds it appropriate to throw a shoe during a press conference, and if he expects to ever have access again to any poltician of importance. maybe he should be also asked why he didnt become an insurgent if he has so much hate for america.

[whosyourdaddy]

good comment. thanks

[FdeBear]

Disgust for Bush's lies and arrogance does not translate into hate for the American people. Iraqi insurgents aren't the only ones who find his leadership despicable. You seem to think that this man has no right to be upset over the chaos we have inflicted on HIS COUNTRY and consequently, what he has seen and experienced personally. The Iraqi people had nothing to do with the terror attack we suffered. So why have they paid such a horrendous and unreasonable price? Why aren't we throwing shoes at the Saudis? Their people attacked us. I share his disgust. George Bush should be the one going to jail and pleading for mercy for his negligence in ignoring the intelligence about an eminent attack upon America and for the exploitation and occupation of Iraq. But Muntadhar al-Zeidi will suffer more so that his "government" and Bush can save face.

[SolarPowerGuy]

Bush would deny Mr. al-Zeidi a visa. Talk show hosts would have to travel to him.

[Abupa]

Wow! What a tough guy! His country let Sadam kill innocent men and women for years. Any form of real arts was shut down. Being homosexual in Iraq is a crime, by the way. Let's not even discuss the rights of women. But, we're supposed to be impressed that he can throw his shoes at an old (and soon to be - if not already - useless) man standing behind a podium.

Give me a break.

[SolarPowerGuy]

Honorable Mr. al-Zeidi,

It is shameful that anyone should be in a position to ask you to apologize. Your action spoke for the feelings of billions of people around the world, including more Americans than you may know.

So many current officers of the American government deserve to face criminal justice. The incoming administration has indicated that it is unlikely to pursue that justice. In that context, a few thrown shoes are nothing.

Peace be with you in your future.

[MsAttitude]

And would you like to enlighten us as to what criminal charges should be brought against our officers?

[walk0nwalls]

Crimes against humanity.

[SolarPowerGuy]

Cheney's recent acknowledgement of his role in approving "enhanced interrogation techniques" shows that this Administration knowingly directed agents of the United States to violate its treaty obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Not that we didn't have ample evidence, years before now. But, I suppose that "MsAttitude" probably agreed with John Yoo and Alberto Gonzales, when they referred to the Geneva Conventions as "quaint."

I'm not 100% conversant with which legal statutes would govern the Administration's providing false information to Congress concerning Iraq's weapons program, and alleged links with Al Qaeda. But maybe a lawyer can chime in here.

Thirdly, it is a felony offense to knowingly reveal the identity of an undercover CIA agent. A slap on the wrist for fall-guy Scooter Libby doesn't begin to atone for the extent of the crime.

Shall I go on?

[tre]

Can I throw my steel-toed work boots at him?

[Ramirez]

Sure you can. All you need to do is get close enough.

[tre]

No problem. He's in jail in Iraq.

[OrganOfThought]

and be willing to pay the consequences

[BannedInBoston]

I h.ate to say this, but it's weirdly funny that the Ir.aqis actually seem to have a law against throwing shoes at Bush....

[AliMB]

they have law directed towards protecting foreign dignataries from insult and assault, including diplomats, head of international missions, visiting heads of state... it is a smart law considering the wave of violence directed towards foreigners after the fall of Saddam. many countries have similar laws.

[Southrnbelle]

I'll bet he does, after they beat the cr*p out of him!

[Witchitalineman]

I'm only sorry he apologized. I hope he gets the pardon. Good for him.