This is exactly why we are fighting a war there, to let the Iraqi people speak their minds and publicly demonstrate their feelings, good or bad. Good for him. No one got hurt. Move on.

I understand that not everyone agrees with president Bush, in fact I disagree with most of his decisions and policies as well. But, when an individual responsible for reporting UNBIASED news throws a shoe at president Bush, it not only ruins his credibility as a reporter but shames his family, profession and disgraces his country. I don’t understand how the Iraqi people see this as acceptable. I now have a lesser opinion of them than Bush now.

When you throw your shoe at the potus then you are throwing it at all americans. If the same thing happens to obama, how do we react?

While I did think that throwing the shoes at Bush was in bad taste I do think that it was extremely funny seeing him ducking and diving and the look on his face.

But in all seriousness a lot of Arabs hate Bush and always will no matter what. In fact they hate the U.S. no matter what we do. So of course they are going to hail this man as a “hero”. If one of their leaders were here and done that way there would be a world wide outcry!

But with Iraq’s freedom they also got freedom of the press. Just didn’t think they’d take it that far! LOL

Cindy…Ga.

I was hit in the head with a shoe by accident when I was 14. I was knocked out, had a concussion and 5 stitches in my forehead and ended up with 2 black eyes, and the shoe was not travelling anywhere as fast as this shoe thrower lobbed it. Looks like he had been practicing and was throwing like a professional baseball player. I am proud that President Bush dodged both shoes like a pro and remained calm and collected. I am shocked that the Secret Service were totally asleep at the switch. The shoe could have seriously injured the president. This was a premediated attack, no doubt, and could have ended up alot worse for the president.

“W” has reeked havoc on the middle east as well as the United States and the whole darn world!
They throw shoes, we lift a finger. I understand.

This, asI understand is thier version of cursing and flipping someone off, and though I usually feel this way over Bush, I would not do these sort of things publically. That is the bad side of this, he should not have done it in front of camera’s!

No doubt some comedians and anti-Bush people will have a field day with the definition of a “lame duck” President.

So if the Iraqis are up in arms about the shoe incident will the reporter be fired from his job? I hope they gave him his shoes back because if he gets fired he’ll need that shoe leather to beat the streets looking for another job. Lifting a finger would have been easier – no shoes to retrieve, nobody tackling him, no outcry about the shame he brought on the press and the Arab world…..and Bush would have understood that message.

Glad to see the struggle for freedom in Iraq is paying off…
Wonder why he never threw a shoe at Saddam… oh yea… I think I can imagine why…

Congrats to Iraq… this is a huge sign of freedom… oh… and you are welcome!

Bush has always been a real heel.

If Saddam had been at the podium, this guy wouldn’t have dared throw any shoes, if so, he’d be dead right now. I don’t like Bush, never did, did not vote for him either time. I did not like the fact we invaded Iraq. But this is too much. Our military got rid of a tyrant and alot of these people could care less. What a way to say thanks. Good thing it wasn’t a female journalist with high heels.

Marhaba Octavia,
In the Arab world expect the unexpected. Al-Ziadi act is unprofessional by all measures, no matter what was his piece of mind, he can always express his disagreement but in professional way. I am not familiar with throwing egg, tomato, or shoes culture, but I think it is immature act of expression. I crossed a comment in the Arab media that “Al-Zaidi family announced they are proud of their son act and posted his photos along with Che Guevara photos”; that represents there are no true Arab hero for at least group of Iraqi!!Probably the flying shoes clip will win the shot of the year 2008 in the Arab world. I will not surprised if the shoes will be auctioned, but it might worth more than president-elect Obama senate seat, hard luck Blago.
Have a lovely day.

I want to say too bad Bush ducked and the shoe missed, but this is our President we are talking about here. There is still a shred of dignity connected with the office I would hope. The journalist is lucky he didn’t throw his shoe at President Andrew Jackson. Old Hickory would have taken off his shoe and thrashed him.

To Bush’s credit he handled the incident with humor and I hope this is the end of it. I do not want to have to board a plane bare footed from now on because passengers might do the same thing and throw shoes at the flight attendants. Let’s use reason for a change.

This idiot could have held up a protest sign. His message would have been seen and he could have been carted off as a “hero.” Where’s Ghandi when you need him? Oh yeah, dead. So much for peaceful protests.

It’s hard to understand how they can be so mad at bush for getting them out of the depressive way they were treated by hussein, however, we need to understand that they have lost hundreds of thousands of lives in their country. For all we know this man could have lost many friends or family to the war.

One shoe for every term in office!! He should have tried stilletos

I wonder how long this guy would have lived if he had thrown his shoes at Saddam Hussein?

Interesting coverage of the incident, yet surprisingly enough Octavia, you’ve overlooked the timing of the visit which coincides with both the memory of Saddam Husseins capture ‘and’ two weeks short of his execution.
Two very emotional dates for Iraqis, that might add some salt to your article, and some insight to the state of mind of Muntadhar.
I just hope he gets out of jail ASAP to enjoy his legacy as the man who went down in history for humiliating Bush the Iraqi way.

On the shoe issue, I remember, when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Father of Benazir Bhutto) invited Foreign Ambassadors to his native town of Larkana in Sind province of Pakistan. People showed shoes to Bhutto, So when ambassadors asked him why people are showing shoes. He replied that they are saying shoes are getting very expensive, so they want me to do something about the leather prices.

I agree kind of hard to appreciate a news reporter as “unbiased” when they throw a shoe…

Alas! President Bush finally discovers those Weapons of Mass Destruction!

Did bush mention in he’s Resume that he was member of * dodgeball team
how he’s dodging shoes

I am appalled at the reporters who have laughed on camera about the shoe throwing incident. Like him or not, that is our president, and that could have been something worse than a shoe. Not so funny.

We can only hope Obama makes all the right decisions,or it will be him they throw shoes at next.

Heck I’d through a shoe at Bush for getting us into the middle east mess. Why has he not found bin Laden like he intended to?

The best “Shoe Reaction” to this incident was from our president.