I think it's safe to say that the star of the Bush Farewell Tour is Muntazar al-Zaidi --- sitting in a prison cell somewhere in Iraq --- rather than the President.
Both
The New York Times and
The Washington Post have Page 1 stories:
"In Iraqi’s Shoe-Hurling Protest, Arabs Find a Hero" and
"Flying Shoes Create a Hero In Arab World".In Saudi Arabia, a newspaper reported that a man had offered $10 million to buy just one of what has almost certainly become the world’s most famous pair of black dress shoes.
A daughter of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, reportedly awarded the shoe thrower, Muntader al-Zaidi, a 29-year-old journalist, a medal of courage.
In the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, people calling for an immediate American withdrawal removed their footwear and placed the shoes and sandals at the end of long poles, waving them high in the air. And in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf, people threw their shoes at a passing American convoy.
When he threw the first shoe, Mr Al-Zaidi cried, "This is a goodbye kiss, you dog." It's when the other shoe was thrown, however, that Mr Al-Zaidi delivered his political punchline, “This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!”
McClatchy News Service reported that al-Zaidi was shaken by the destruction he found when covering the military operations in April as Iraqi Government troops, supported by US forces and bombardments, took control of Sadr City in Baghdad.
It's doubtful that Mr al-Zaidi is aware of his status, as he remains in detention.
Associated Press is reporting that he has been handed over to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's security guards. He faces up to seven years in prison for "insulting the nation's leader".
Thousands of Iraqis marched on Monday to demand al-Zaidi's release, a call joined by tribal chiefs around the country and by journalist organisations inside and outside Iraq.
(hat tip to
Informed Comment)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 at 11:44