As was pointed out in The New York Post yesterday:
"Even if shoe-thrower Muntadar al-Zaidi (who works for an Egypt-based media outfit) walks out in his stocking feet and becomes a hero to dead-enders, he unwittingly showed what a great thing has been accomplished in Iraq.
Other than Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, what Arab head of government holds free-wheeling press conferences? "President" Mubarak of Egypt? Assad of Syria? The Saudi king? Qaddafi? If an Arab reporter had "shoed" any other leading Arab ruler during one of their staged events, he would've been fortunate to escape with his life."
The media have been having a ball with the video of the Great Baghdad Shoe Toss. But they've missed the point completely. Our sacrifices let that pathetic reporter muster the courage to hurl his shoes at our president: He knew he could get away with it."
I have read on the internet that the man who threw the shoe was a Sunni Arab upset at the overthrow of Saddam Hussien who had now associated himself with the al Sadr militias. The familiy had had run ins with the police in the past, and I suspect will have more in the future. Anyway, the shoe-throwing incident probably could not happen in the US--the Secret Service would have gone after the man as soon as he raised him arm and asked questions later--but certainly the American press has treated President Bush no less rudely.
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