Prof Chazelle, you are absolutely right. The video deserves the best video award--- to see this in action, not once but twice!! I could not think of a better way for the majority of Iraqis ( represented by the journalist ) to express what they think of GWB ( venting their anger but doing no physical harm ). And I just cracked up. Just the thought of it makes me want to laugh. I wonder what kind of act Jon Stewart will come up with for THIS ONE!!!

That is by a million miles the best thing I've seen since the year 2000.

I hope the journalist is safe. If this happened in the US, the guy would be sent to a max security prison for the rest of his life.

But since Iraq is now free, democratic, and a bastion of human rights, I am sure that he'll be OK.

The man is an instant legend. His 'children will sing great songs about him years from now' and so will lots of other people's children. They will drown out the pipsqueaks coming from the runts in Richard Perle's litter, that's for sure.

No flowers and sweets, but we did get a slightly used pair of size 10 shoes on our cakewalk. It was all worth it, doncha think?

Consider the contempt those shoes signify, in light of Patrick Cockburn's summary of the SOFA:

'On 27 November the Iraqi parliament voted by a large majority in favour of a security agreement with the US under which its 150,000 troops will withdraw from Iraqi cities, towns and villages by 30 June next year and from all of Iraq by 31 December 2011. The Iraqi government will take over military responsibility for the Green Zone in Baghdad, the heart of American power in Iraq, in a few weeks’ time. Private security companies will lose legal immunity. US military operations will only be carried out with Iraqi consent. No US military bases will remain after the last American troops leave in 2011 and in the interim the US military is banned from carrying out attacks on other countries from within Iraq.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), signed after eight months of rancorous negotiations, is categorical and unconditional. America’s bid to act as the world’s only super-power and to establish quasi-colonial control of Iraq, an attempt that began with the invasion of 2003, has ended in failure.'

And 'Astonishingly, this momentous agreement was greeted with little surprise or interest outside Iraq. On the day that it was finally passed by the Iraqi parliament international attention was focused on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. For some months polls in the US have shown that the economic crisis has replaced the Iraqi war in the minds of American voters. In any case, Bush has declared so many spurious milestones to have been passed in Iraq over the years that when a real turning point is reached people are naturally sceptical about its significance. The White House is anyway so keen to keep quiet about what it has agreed in Iraq that it hasn’t even published a copy of the SOFA in English.'

Beautiful. Just beautiful. And no need to wait for the other shoe to drop George, here, take this!

Could someone please interview Donald Rumsfeld about this? I'd like to see how his hubris is holding up without all that hot air that once filled it's sails. I nominate Shoeless Muntadar al-Zaidi, though he may have to agree to wear slippers.

I am going to print up a picture of the soles of my shoes, and then put it on a postcard and send to the White House. I make the postcard out of card stock paper, and postage is 27 cents. I put wide clear tape over the back of the card to secure the photo and prevent any damage to the card.

I hope all Americans will join me in doing this.

Some folks near DC will be throwing shoes at the White House - some folks are mailing in a shoe to the White House (costs about $4.50 to do that).

Save your shoes for Obama, who enters his managerial job with eyes wide open.

I'm sorry the guy missed his target, and I think the sole-card idea is great!

Iron Butterfly

I never had any illusions that Obama would be able to extract America from Iraq. I am perfectly happy just to have a President who WANTS them out.

Just for the record, his name is Muntadar al-Zaidi. Sew it on your sleeve.

Rupa Shah: Ole Millard Reynolds ( a cousin)used to own the the cotton mill and I think he had saw mill there at one time, over in Plantersville. I hadn't thought of those folks in a long time. May I point out that there used to be a large army in Europe and indeed worldwide of Nazis. It didn't pan out. Neither will the next one.

The guy missed twice from 20 feet, GWB, has mad skills, and didn't even get excited about another unappreciative Iraqi scumbag!!! Hell, when did the Iraqi's start growing some balls.....Saddam was a million times worst then GWB, and if this same wimp would have tried that manuver on Saddam, he, along with his entire family, and clan, tribe or whatever the fuck you people call your families over there, would have been exterminated!!! The only issue that I have with GWB is that he didn't just bomb the shit out of Iraq when we had the chance, before the politcians started running the war!!! The Americans will be gone soon, and then you can return to the 3rd Century, from which you all came!!!

yes, send pictures of your soles to the man who has no soul.

well, panucchi reallys shows how ignorant he is.

More info on Muntadar al-Zaidi - he was from Egypt, and is a Sunni. What he was really upset about is the bombing of Sadr City, by the US military, earlier this year.

I collect the pictures from Iraq, and post on this blog - http://facesofgrief.blogspot.com

I will put up pictures of the protests soon.

Saddam killed 10000 of people and was hanged for cruelty on humans, GW.Bushy killed millions, when he will be brough to justice like saddam? He sent Collins Powell with fake WMD vial to force war on Iraq and neither He had guts to come to the damn american media with an appology after three years of UN insepctions reveiled nothing, nor the US corrupt media had the guts to ask these croonies and Nazis about their unwarranted actions. Atleast this journalist had the courage for a free speech. Shame on GWB, his croonies and US media for supporting such war mongering rehtorics without any heart.

Well, now I just read something that contradicted the claim that al Zaidi was a Sunni from Egypt.

I am perfectly happy just to have a President who has nice hair.

Susan: Mr.al-Zaidi is an Iraqi and works for an Iraqi owned TV station, al-Baghdadiya based in Cairo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7783608.stm

http://baghdadbureau.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/brother-is-proud-of-shoe-tossing-iraqi-journalist/

panucchi: JOIN THE AIRFORCE, TODAY. WE are bombing them today and YOU are missing out the fun by NOT DOING YOUR DUTY as a citizen of the good ole USA supporting this war.

HERE'S the Iraqi Embassy @1-202-742-1600 as posted over at digby's. WhiteHouse is 1-202-456-1111 if U so desire.

Several comments here:

First to Haroldrobins....GWB killed Millions, Saddam killed 10,000, there were no WMD's....are you smoking the crack pipe!! Please for your own saftey put it down....ask the Kurds about how many Saddam Killed....and I believe he used Nerver Gas on them....ahhh...isn't that a WMD?? We know he had them, cause we gave them to him!!!

And I believe the tough guy shoe thrower was an Iraqi...Sunni, Shite, it don't make not difference...the US has only been aroung for 200+ years, and you people have been killing each other for Centuries!!! Please take a look into the history of Islam, the religion of Peace....you gotta be kidding me.....you need to clean up your own house before you can even speak about our President!!!!
And as for your pictures....did you post them when Saddam was running the show....I would bet that you didn't even have a camera!!!

And as for Mike Meyer comment....I support the troops 500%, I just wish that we would have treated this as a real war..if we would have let the generals run the show....this would have been over 4 years ago....once they started putting reporters in with the troops, I knew we had another Vietnam on our hands......I say kill them all and let Allah sort em out!!!!

and oh yeah Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all.....

Several comments here:

First to Haroldrobins....GWB killed Millions, Saddam killed 10,000, there were no WMD's....are you smoking the crack pipe!! Please for your own saftey put it down....ask the Kurds about how many Saddam Killed....and I believe he used Nerver Gas on them....ahhh...isn't that a WMD?? We know he had them, cause we gave them to him!!!

And I believe the tough guy shoe thrower was an Iraqi...Sunni, Shite, it don't make not difference...the US has only been aroung for 200+ years, and you people have been killing each other for Centuries!!! Please take a look into the history of Islam, the religion of Peace....you gotta be kidding me.....you need to clean up your own house before you can even speak about our President!!!!
And as for your pictures....did you post them when Saddam was running the show....I would bet that you didn't even have a camera!!!

And as for Mike Meyer comment....I support the troops 500%, I just wish that we would have treated this as a real war..if we would have let the generals run the show....this would have been over 4 years ago....once they started putting reporters in with the troops, I knew we had another Vietnam on our hands......I say kill them all and let Allah sort em out!!!!

and oh yeah Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all.....

Nah, this is a fake troll, a parody. I think.

Ah. Rick Perlstein there in Donald Johnson's link is practically asking his readers to violate the Goodwin' law. And he gets it in comment 5. Good, but I'm surprised it took that long.

Ha, good catch, Donald Johnson.

I love this: "This is not how we do politics, unless we're in favor something tending toward anarchy, or fascism."

Yes, the throwing of shoes at the "leader of a sovereign state" is exactly the sort of thing that happens in (1) a stateless society without rulers or (2) a totalitarian regime.

This man is fucking brilliant.

Credit for the Perlstein link goes to Avedon Carol, the blog where I saw it.

Though I am something of a Perlstein fan (less of one now) and just never got around to reading his blog regularly. My motivation to do so has just taken a hit.

And yeah, good points, STO.

Rick Perlstein now appears in my parent's Newsweek. Perhaps that has something to do with it.

This is not how we do politics, unless we're in favor something tending toward anarchy, or fascism.

In the grab-bag that is Rick Perlstein's mind, "anarchy" and "fascism" are just samples from a larger category, "things that are unlike our wonderful American system of democracy." Perlstein understands that here in the U.S., we've perfected "democracy" to the point where dissent comes only in its proper forms: online petitions, candlelight vigils, and MoveOn house parties.

I posted a comment at around 9.00am. I think, it is still waiting for moderator approval.
In any case, I do not know much about this gentleman Perlstein and IF, he was a leftist at one time and IF he is working for NEWSWEEK now as MARK suggests, may be the MSM culture has rubbed off on him, "Go with the flow"!!!!!

I called that Iraqi Embassy but I guess their machine is full.

Panucchi: "Supporting the TROOPS 500%" Jes ain't quite the same as filling that empty hole in the line that a fallen fellow AMERICAN has left behind, now is it. ELIST TODAY, DON'T B A SLACKARD!

"Take this as a farewell kiss, you dog!" is the quote of this young century. I just love it! Why do all the other countries in the world have such glorious put-downs, and the USA only has profanity? IMO, probably because we haven't been around long enough to develop any genuine culture. Only Hollywood and Madison Avenue faux culture...

Panucchi, what does "supporting the troops 500%" mean? Do you send them 500% of your income so they can buy body armor? Do you spend 500% of your time helping those who have returned from Iraq without all of their limbs? Or do you simply have red, white & blue "I Support Our Troops" ribbons plastered over 500% of your SUV's windows, blinding you to reality?

BTW, without Hindu-Arabic culture which gave us 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 you'd be supporting the troops "D?" The "D" gets you five hundred, but without a "0", you can't have a "%".