Outgoing US President George W Bush has completed the transformation from lame-duck president to just a sitting duck, when he was the target of an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad overnight. The weapon of choice? A pair of size 10 shoes.
Bush was in Baghdad to celebrate the conclusion of a security pact which will see all US combat troops withdrawn from Iraq in June 2009 and all non-combat troops withdrawn at the end of 2011. All discussions of the pact however were overshadowed by the shoe-thrower, identified as Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist with Egyptian al-Baghdadia television network.
The shoes narrowly avoided Bush, who was shielded by Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri al-Maliki during the attack. The culprit, after throwing his shoes at the President, could be heard yelling in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog! You killed the Iraqis!"
Other Iraqi journalists at the scene were horrified at the actions undertaken by one of their own, insisting his actions weren't representative of the Iraqi people. Hurling your shoes at someone is considered a grave insult amongst Muslims.
Bush was bemused after the incident, telling the gathered press that the culprit was probably just seeking attention.
"So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?" Bush said.
"Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers."
This is surely one of the more bizarre incidents of the Bush administration, and is perhaps a signal that a farewell tour of good faith may not be be on the cards for Bush.
Bush was in Baghdad to celebrate the conclusion of a security pact which will see all US combat troops withdrawn from Iraq in June 2009 and all non-combat troops withdrawn at the end of 2011. All discussions of the pact however were overshadowed by the shoe-thrower, identified as Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist with Egyptian al-Baghdadia television network.
The shoes narrowly avoided Bush, who was shielded by Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri al-Maliki during the attack. The culprit, after throwing his shoes at the President, could be heard yelling in Arabic: "This is a farewell ... you dog! You killed the Iraqis!"
Other Iraqi journalists at the scene were horrified at the actions undertaken by one of their own, insisting his actions weren't representative of the Iraqi people. Hurling your shoes at someone is considered a grave insult amongst Muslims.
Bush was bemused after the incident, telling the gathered press that the culprit was probably just seeking attention.
"So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?" Bush said.
"Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers."
This is surely one of the more bizarre incidents of the Bush administration, and is perhaps a signal that a farewell tour of good faith may not be be on the cards for Bush.
