Muntadar al-Zaidi Did What We Journalists Should Have Done Long AgoIt took an Iraqi journalist to shatter the complacent tradition of awed respect that has reduced the White House travelling press corps to mush. Al-Zaidi threw his shoes for all of us.

Send an old shoe (or this picture!) to the White House, Wash. DC 20500!

By Dave Lindorff

When Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi heaved his two shoes at thehead of President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad,he did something that the White House press corps should have doneyears ago.
Al-Zaidi listened to Bush blather that the half-decade of war hehad initiated with the illegal invasion of Iraq had been “necessary forUS security, Iraqi stability (sic) and world peace” and something justsnapped. The television correspondent, who had been kidnapped and heldfor a while last year by Shiite militants, pulled off a shoe and threwit at Bush—a serious insult in Iraqi culture—and shouted “This is afarewell kiss, you dog!” When the first shoe missed its target, hegrabbed a second shoe and heaved it too, causing the president to ducka second time as al-Zaidi shouted, “This is from the widows, theorphans, and those who were killed in Iraq!”
I’ll admit, listening to Bush lie his way through eight years ofpress conferences, while pre-selected reporters played along andpretended to get his attention so they could ask questions which hadbeen submitted and vetted in advance, I have felt like throwing myshoes at the television set.