http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7782422.stm

Good drills, George. Cat-like reflexes! Excellent reaction to enemy fire! How did the journalist manage to hoy not one but two things at the US president without the Secret Service giving him a faceful of 9mm?

He spoke quite well about it afterwards too, perhaps he's more relaxed talking off-the-cuff, or maybe he's just happy that he's off into the sunset shortly?

This was all over the news here yesterday. That first shoe almost looked like it would have connected if Bush hadn't ducked out of the way. The second... kinda sailed over his head but still too close for comfort. Kudos to Georgie for his age-defying reflexes but he probably has to stay on his toes all the time - especially on overseas trips.

Bush relaxed talking off-the-cuff? C'mon. Most of the time he can't remember his own name, forget about forming complete sentences. He had a rare good day. I suppose he downplayed the whole issue more for the Iraqi people than for the folks back home.

In any event, I wish we would have seen more of this side of Bush in the past. He probably does have some good moments, but the media doesn't show those of course. They have to play the role of Dr Doom & Gloom you see...

- Zombie

The size 42 comment was hilarious.

I decided to see how he compares to my dad, since they're roughly the same age. I have to say, despite my dad's relatively good shape (works a lot around the house, building etc...) he doesn't have the reflexes. Granted I was much closer, and didn't really throw my shoe, but I would say the reflexes weren't as good.

I believe there was a misunderstanding, though. The man obviously wanted to give away his shoes to Bush. As they say: "Give a man a shoe, and he'll want another. Give a man two shoes and he'll be giving away the shoes." Well, it was actually with guns and bullets, but oh hey, look at the time! /Gimli punches everyone in the face and runs away during the confusion

Loved his grin when he ducked it. Bet he was striking karate poses in front of the Secret Service in private after. "Where were you guys? Huh? I'll take you all on!"

You gotta wonder if this was a staged event though. Bush didn't look all that surprised or afraid seeing a black object hurtling towards his noggin. He knew just when to duck, and afterwards, he was cool as a cucumber. Not a rattled bone in his body.


LOL, I could see him doing that.

- Zombie

I think, from the lack of security response/presence, that the location was rather secure and they had all been thoroughly searched (very sensible considering the close proximity to the President), and so Bush knew the only people there who were armed were those who should have been.

If it had been less secure I would have expected the journo to have his brains splattered, quite frankly. Could have been a bomb in those shoes.

Just noticed this article on BBC news.

So even though the Iraqi government (if you can call it that, it's more like a US puppet regime) called the shoe attack "shameful", a recent poll of the people there showed some very different results:

62% called Zeidi a hero
24% called him a criminal, and
10% thought he was a criminal and a hero

Add those numbers up and we are still short by 4%. Was there an "other" category, or does it mean that 4% of the Iraqi people don't know how to vote?

Not only that, but Zeidi's sentence was reduced by the judge because the "hero" didn't have any prior criminal history.

Just goes to show that the government isn't speaking for the people there, the people are. That's bad news as it means the Iraqi government is doomed to fail unless it reinstates a dictatorship. Some people just can't handle democracy it seems.

- Zombie

I am sure US wouldn't mind as long as they call the shots...

Anyway, there are people that just can't handle democracy everywhere. Iraqi people weren't even given a fair try though. I'm not only talking about US being the puppeteer, there are other, more regional forces trying to tear the state apart.

If I count how many dictatorships the U.S. actually placed in charge of democratic countries, when said countries' democracy didn't suit the goals of the U.S. government, I would say that statting that Iraqi people cannot handle democracy is, at least, unfair.

Iraqi people cannot handle U.S. authority on their "democracy". It was easier for the U.S. to maintain their influence when they placed Sadam as the dictator or Iraq, but what they did was absurd:

1)Declare war with no aparent reason(just some obscure claims about possession of chemical weapons that were never found)
2)Go there, kill hundreds of thousands innocent civilians in order to "liberate them"(OMG, if someone can believe that)
3)Place a marionet government, designed to facilitate U.S. control over the area(not unexpected, but surerly unwelcome)
4)Fail to protect the now "liberated"(after being murdered) civilians from the so called "terrorists" attacks(Partizan resistance was always the name when a country was under foreign military occupation. Until the U.S. became the occupying force, that is. And, before someone states that they are killing their own people, remember that the partizans were executing those that were cooperating with the occupying forces)
5)Use methods that they have voted(along with the other UN members) to be illegal(cutting electricity and water supply for example) in their attempt to control the, unavoidable, unrest

Now, they are blaming Iraqi that, they can't handle democracy.
For anyone that wishes to know the truth, you must remember that Iraq was an artificially created country to begin with(too many races and religious parties that hate eachother were forced to live under the same flag), and it is normal that, since U.S. has claimed to have brought "freedom" to the people, they now want to form their own separate countries.

Iraq should have removed the last of the illusion U.S tried to fool the rest of the world with: That they value freedom and justice above all. It was never taken seriously(seeing what they have done in Chili, Greece, Argentina, Panama, Brazil, Cyprus, many other African and Asian nations), but that was the last one that should have convinced even the most resistant to the idea.

As Nelson from the Simpsons says: Ha-Ha! What comes around, goes around.

- Zombie