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

[greysilk]

Bill Clinton would have caught that shoe and thrown it back!

[AliMB]

no he wouldn't have... when has clinton done anything that showed aggression?

[lungfish]

Bombing bin Ladens base and setting up a submarine picket to drop a cruise missile on him if he got his head up.

By the way, the first thing Dubya and Condi did when they got into office was stand down the order to kill OBL....Thats what happens when you put draft dodgers and cowards in charge of armies...

[gojo]

Ahem. Monica?

[greysilk]

Say you're sorry and get out of jail guy - many of us want you out.

[afgail]

Not me. The guy could just have brandished his shoe and yelled epithets and that would have been an accetable protest. It is the throwing of two shoes that makes it an assault. BIG difference. He deserves to go to jail.

[ellawensmom]

How many people in the US would go to jail for throwing their shoes at someone? Even if it did it would be a flipping misdemeanor, and they sure as he** wouldn't get YEARS for it.

[cosmicrose]

I like the way this writer puts it in an article on Truthout stating:

The biggest barrier to democracy is the fear of social transgression, the idea that democracy can be passively observed. We must be constant, active participants in our fates, rather than waiting for others that we can cheer on from the sidelines, to act on our behalf. http://www.truthout.org/121808A

Can anyone legitimately believe that this man deserves a jail sentence and Bush doesn't? Sadly... it is only due to the fact that this man had the audacity to do what others are too fearful to do which has brought his behavior to the awareness of the masses. It has always been those willing to take that chance... which brings about massive changes that benefit the flock at the chagrin of the sheep herding dogs amongst them.

A similar situation happened here more than a year ago when Desiree Farooz (SP) of Code Pink confronted Condi Rice... calling her a war criminal. She too was arrested and thrown in jail even though she did exactly as you relate being an acceptable form of protest. Did you hear about it? If so... were you there to support her right to protest when she went to court?

[hialoha]

For those who say that the shoe thrower would have been taken out under a Sad am regime have utterly missed the point. Sad am would have been gone by now but through pressure by a unified world and not involving occupation and untold deaths and destruc tion and a civil war to boot. It was handled all wrong. He just spoke more loudly than the rest of us. Our majority voice came out in the form of a vote.

[AliMB]

that is false, there is no evidence to suggest that Saddam was about to lose power... any respectable Iraqi politican would tell you that. while bush is now very unpopular, he did win a presidential election twice, so i'm not sure how the majority voice came out in the vote... Obama doesn't count because he was not running against George Bush.

[hialoha]

You know what they say about opinions. I disagree that W won either election or that Obama did not run against W. There was pressure but this administartion was greedy for war and they admit it.

[BlackWidowPilot]

Bush on the evidence was (A) *appointed* by the US Supreme Court to the office of POTUS in 2000, and "won" by a narrow margin thanks to shenanigans akin to Florida in 2000, only without the Supreme Court's intervention.

Diebold voting machines can do wonders with democratic elections, neh?

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[demigod]

Obama DID run against Bush - in the person of John McCain.

[MsLiz]

All is forgiven.

[gojo]

Of course unless it happens to Obama.

[ellawensmom]

If it happened to Obama, he would have shown grace and compassion. He'd probably want to talk to the man to find out what he's so upset about. That's the thing with Obama...He chooses to listen and ask questions. That's what intelligent people do.

[MagisterLudi]

Give him a few whacks with a combat boot around the head and let him out.
I wonder what would've happened to him if he tried this stunt with an A-rab leader. Say Prez. of Syria. hmmmm....

[AliMB]

if he is lucky, he would have recieved up to 25 years in jail for treason. In all probablity,he would have an even harder sentence while being routinely tortured. If it really went bad for him, he would have been shot. Iraq is far from a perfect country, but it probably has one of the most lenient judicial systems in the Arab world

[spandautoseattle]

If the probable treatment he would have received through agents of a Syrian dict@tor is despicable, why then do you think it is less despicable when administered by IR@qi agents?

[Susej]

Are you suggesting that the Iraqi gov. any better?

[JuniorNorman]

They already broke his ribs and face a pardon would help it go away!
LONG LIVE THE SHOE MARTYR!

[Moshe]

If he's apologizing for missing, apology accepted.

But credit where credit is due. That George is quick. I would have expected Bill Clinton to be able to dodge a flying shoe (years of practice no doubt) but George was surprisingly impressive with the quick reflexes (maybe Laura has given George some practice over the years)! ;-)

[amyeom]

Why is this man still in jail??

[Chavez08]

Because the Iraqi puppet leaders want to make an example of him for the benefit of the Western Bankers that pay them.

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

STAND UR GROUND :)

[Mudtrader7]

For the media savvy player, a stunt of this magnitude is not an "aw shucks , I didn't mean nothin' " incident. Assault and battery is not something to be taken lightly, because it cleary indicates the will to project hatred and harm on the target. To allow this matter to go without real consequences of a negative nature by a pre-emptive pardon, would send a message that to come out of any dark alley of life to harm another human being, and especially if that person represents a whole nation of human beings - is ok, understandable, excuseable. Ignorance and stupidity are no excuse for unacceptable behavior. GW was a good-natured man in the face of an incident which could have been much more perverse with better planning. His protection was inadequate and would have been an underscore of misguided political correctness had this man been able to take advantage of GW's unawareness. Let this man pay for his bid to fame and martyrdom. It's only time and $$$.

[hialoha]

must be fair and not a vindication

[spandautoseattle]

The message out of a dark alley came in 2003. One cannot discuss the "shoe incident" without looking at the past 5 years. Right now, when administration-officials -in front of cameras- admit (while smirking) their wrongdoings, it would have been diplomatically advisable to avoid the Ir@q-visit in the first place.

[bolivare]

Although, begrudgingly, I agree with you, Bush has not made many fans in this part of the world. As a matter of fact, he's made even more enemies than allies. So this type of incident does not surprise me nor should it anyone else. Bush just needs to stay away and just go away. Crawl under the rock he came from and just....go away.
We've had enough and I'm sorry this guy is paying a penalty for "expressing" how he feels since we, the American people, haven't expressed it by impeaching this man.

[truthbrigade]

That’s B.S. pure and complete garbage. Boy George is not a human being and he deserves NO dignity. He may represent you Goober, but I’ve made it clear in my travel abroad that he does NOT represent me and that I’m profoundly ashamed of him.

[ellawensmom]

This is stupid. Bush may have dealt with it in public, but I can well imagine the fuming and foul language that went on behind the scenes as he cursed his SS up one side and down the other. As he demanded that the audacious shoe thrower have the book thrown at him, etc. I assure you that his public face is NOT, and has NEVER been his private one.

[ericmiami]

I'm sending a shoe to the White House.

[hialoha]

Remember during the campaign when the US (probably as thwarted campaign stunt) went into Syria and took out group of innocents .... and a high level Syrian spokesperson was interviewed stating that it was likely to be the work of right wing US ter orists and having to do with the campaign... This is what is a broad belief in the region and much deserved. Maliki is in a position to need to tread carefully.

[jc clone]

He should have apologized for missing.

[Clarabell]

Also, some of us will never look at a shoe the same way again. When we get cut off in traffic, we'll "give them a shoe," and I'm sure they will get the message.

[Clarabell]

I would think if they hope for the story to "go away," they would pardon him and get it over quickly. Otherwise it will live on forever (which it probably will anyway). But anyway, I hope they don't punish him too hard.