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Detached in a Shoestorm: Bush's Farewell Faceoff
Reagan forgot to duck. Bush didn't. It's unforgettable television that, upon reflection, appears to sum up the man and his presidency.
Watch the video. From behind we see the Shoe Thrower lurch up, ragged and uncouth, doing his best to reinforce all negative stereotypes of angry Muslim fundamentalists. He yells, "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog!" and unleashes the shoe, hard, straight at Bush's head. The shoe moves fast, with good rotation, perfect for a bloody nose. And, without batting an eye, Bush ducks a foot and a half. What was about to nail him on the schnoz sails harmlessly into the backdrop.
Then, wait. This is the strange part. There's no mass tackling of the Shoe Thrower, no Secret Service agents diving across the stage to take a Nike for America. For a beat the Shoe Thrower owns the room. And--my favorite part--Bush does NOT hit the deck. Instead he pops back up to normal height. His face is cagey and attentive, on full alert like a basketball defender. He's little bewildered, but not paralyzed. Instinct consumes him. It looks as if he realizes this is incredible, amazing stuff, a must-see event, history unraveling before him. Maybe some Texas bravado wriggles in. Maybe he feels assassination coming and is determined to watch it in. He has to see how this ends.
In this situation, Bush loses no dignity by crumbling to the floor in the fetal position. We expect this of our presidents--it's the rational thing to do. It's what I would do, and what I hope my friends and family would do. But Bush stands there, a sitting duck, waiting, just as intrigued as we are. He does not take over. He is not in control. Like his presidency, Bush's staredown looks foolhardy and counterproductive, but here a corner of my gut roots for him hard. Bring em on, indeed.
The other shoe drops. Good rotation, and thrown hard, but it sails on him. Bush flinches, raises his hand, but it's not a full duck. He's seen major league pitching. This guy doesn't have it. Finally, the other reporters in the room awaken and move to collar the Shoe Thrower. A little while later, Bush adds the mandatory quip: "All I can report is a size 10."
It's a strange capstone to a presidency, one of those semi-absurd semi-scary incidents like the pretzel-choking, the back-shooting, the bike-crashing. Yet somehow those ten seconds seem to say everything about the man, about guts and intelligence, humor and luck, the dangerous world Bush has helped make worse. For what the world hopes to be the last time, we've watched the man do just enough to keep himself afloat.
Follow Matt Stewart on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mjfstewart
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In America, this is the weapon of choice to suppress a yowling cat on a fence outside of one's window. This tactic usually results in a complex and lengthy reconnaissance mission to retrieve the projectile.
Hmmm ...
If cheney would have been there he would of probably gotten cratered, because he's always whispering in bush's ear telling him what to say and do.
One shoe was flowers, and the other was chocolates.
An attempted attack on Bush by a suicide shoer.
The Secret Service not doing anything speaks volumes and shows their lack of enthusiasm on their principal.
See Matt Stewart's Profile
That was REALLY surprising. Wouldn't be surprised if Bush skimped on the Xmas bonuses this year...
The Iraqi committed shoeicide, does that make him a martyr?
I know many here at Huffpo are taking a lot of joy in this act, and I confess that it was with no small amount of laughter that I watched this video, but then I just had to ask: Does anyone else here find this distasteful? There's no doubt that Bush really screwed us with the whole war, but it makes me sick as a veteran to see this type of vitriol from the Iraqis. Yes, there was a lot of bad stuff, but there was a lot of good, and not to mention taxpayer dollars that flowed into that country. Remember the brand-new, state of the art sewage treatment plant that cost millions of our dollars to build, only to be destroyed by a suicide bomber? Or the thousands of American lives lost in trying to keep the peace? Have we ONCE even heard the Iraqi people or officials stand up and say something like, "You know, regardless of everything, we would just like to say to the American people (not Bush) who have given so much money and life...... THANK YOU." Instead, this is what our reward is. Makes me just want to have us pick up immediately, leave now, with both middle fingers extended to that country. And if it dissolves into chaos, when they all start killing each other again (which they will) and plead for us to stay, we can throw a shoe at their faces.
These people's country has been DESTROYED by Bush's administration for reasons that have been proven totally false; Iraq had NOTHING to do with September 11, and the WMDs didn't exist. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis are dead, their country is in a shambles, and you want them to be grateful? We didn't come to their aid; we INVADED their country FOR NO REASON.
I co-sign everything you said, jimbeaux.
I am positive, most Iraqi's feel the way the shoe thrower feels.
Totally agree.
All the good we did.Seriously?At best estimate over 100,000 people are dead.Strange as this might sound to you but those dead were the friends and relatives or at the very least fellow countrymen of those still living.WE INVADED THEIR NATION!However much money or "goodwill" we throw into it doesn't change that simple fact.Bad as things are here in America would you welcome an army of foreign soldiers and celebrate the mass slaughter they unleashed merely because they also tossed some money around?
"At best estimate over 100,000 people are dead"
Should read "most conservative estimate, over 100,00 people are dead." Honestly, the real number is probably closer to 1,000,000, if not more.
I think the answer to that is deceptively simple.
Imagine if Russia or China decided that the US had weapons of mass destruction and it was necessary to invade.
Even if you had a dictator president like Saddam, do you really think Americans would THANK them?
Now imagine that Saudi Arabia had the ability to invade, or that the Russians or Americans were Muslims or some other religion, and you knew that in reality, they didn't REALLY approve of your religion and thought it was a bit crazy.
Americans would FIGHT, I'm sure.
And no matter what goodies they bought you, you wouldn't be thanking them in a hurry.
Uh, the US does have weapons of mass destruction...W has done his level best (with a strong assist from Cheney & the gang) to be a dictator...and lots of people in this country use their religion as a weapon against those who disagree with them. Good thing the other world powers don't operate like Bush & Co.
Do you really expect the Iraqis to do a thank you shuffle. Get real. We destroyed their country and most are no more free or secure than they were under Sadam. Stop being so "American is the center of the universe". It is not!
An unprovoked war is more distasteful. A war predicated on lies by Bush that led to the loss of 5,000 of our bravest and finest is distasteful. Too bad it had to be an Iraqi to protest, it would have been better sight if it was one of the mothers or fathers of our dead soldier.
I will even level with you and not think of the millions of Iraqis killed or the tens and hundreds of thousands of Americans forever scarred and maimed by this war. Yes they will fall into chaos and millions more will die when we leave but remember that this is all because of Bush the Republicans and those who supported this war.
Although I commend your service as a veteran, this is not the time to be a sheep but to be a citizen again and get politically active so that those who follow your path are not to be put in harms way based on lies.
1. I would not be the least bit surprised if the secret service gave presidents training on stuff like that: after all, missile-throwing has got to be one of the most common likely forms of attack - and one of the few avoidable ones.
2. What really annoys me is that most of the media is completely IGNORING what the man actually said when he threw the second shoe. Everyone quotes Bush's pathetic quips, and in your own column you say the reporter was reinforcing "negative stereotypes of angry Muslim fundamentalists", but in fact that is bull****. He said: ""This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq."
The fact that much of the media is ignoring this is incompetent at best, suspicious at worst.
I'm waiting for the Secret Service to require all reporters to remove their shoes before entering the press room.
The guy who launched the footware at bush, his real name is Ali Bundi..............
ROFL!
Another article on the Post (from 236.com, lest you think it was serious) had the Yankees trying to sign the shoe-thrower. I can see the mandatory Cashman quotes about 'good fastball, nice rotation, we're waiting to see some of the off-speed stuff.' I'm sure they can work on it with the pitching coach in the offseason.
If the shoe fits...
Throw it.
I will down load it and save it forever. We should have classes to study his technique for future Bush administration sightings. I to hope the brave guy does not get the rope .
In the interview with Martha Raddatz, Bush said "He wanted to be on TV, I guess. I don't know what his beef with me is"!!!!! He is completely clueless, as always. I hope this reporter is not punished severely for this. Imagine the frustration that he has. Bush should have gone for a bike ride around Baghdad, then he would (maybe) understand the depth of the destruction he has brought on these innocent people.
The Iraqi reporter's action was something akin to the Chinese student standing in front of the tank and should be seen in that light.
Well put dodosong.
An act of bravery, an act not staged for theatric effect.
Just the act of one frustrated, otherwise reasonable human being against tyranny. The only real difference, Bush couldn't have just rolled forward and squashed the reporter.
Very well said!
Bush is,was and will forever remain clueless.What was funny was Maliki`s reaction.He was all cool and it even looked like a little smile was on his face.
He is so delusional, he actually does think this is a 'healthy sign of freedom' ... he compares it to protesters are at a rally. He is totally clueless and out of touch.
Amazing.
Bush is probably delusional, and certainly detached from our common experience of reality, but he's not stupid. He has to have a pretty good idea why so many people hate him.
He just doesn't care.
Bush looked upon it as a novelty. After all, he's never seen in person all of the Americans who protest him and the grotesque farce that has been his presidency. He has them cordoned off away from the speech sites and motorcade routes to ensure his cone of silence.
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