Shoes Fly, Don’t Bother Me!

President Bush once again displayed his usual sang-froid in a difficult situation, when during a press conference in Baghdad with Iraqi Nuri Al-Maliki, a reporter threw shoes at him. Handling the situation with grace and good humor, the president reportedly said, “I’m OK…  If you want the facts, it was a size 10 shoe that he threw.”

President Bush ducked when the first shoe came flying directly at him; Maliki went for a high block as the second one whizzed by Bush’s head. Incredibly, the Secret Service was nowhere to be seen until after the reporter had hurled the second shoe. Had he been throwing shoe bombs, or even simply shooting a gun, it seems likely that the president could have been badly injured or even killed.

If you haven’t seen it already, watch for yourself:

The shoe-throwing reporter, Muntazer al-Zaidi, is from Egyptian station Al-Baghdadia, which broadcasts from Cairo. Interestingly enough, this seems to be the very same Muntazer al-Zaidi who was kidnapped last month in Baghdad, held blindfolded and questioned by captors for two days, and then suddenly released at 3 a.m. on a dark street, with no ransom paid.

I’d dismiss this as coincidence if it weren’t for the fact that American presidents named Bush seem to fare poorly with certain segments of the Iraqi population.

H/T Michelle Malkin

Stoutcat