The man knows how to duck and cover, that’s for sure.
Bloomberg reports: “In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. ‘This is the farewell kiss, you dog,’ the man shouted in Arabic. After U.S. troops pulled down a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi bystanders tossed shoes at it, according to news reports at the time. Bush said today’s incident was an example of free speech in a democracy. The man threw the shoes from about 25 feet away as Bush, standing with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, made formal remarks before the signing of the Iraqi-U.S. agreement. Maliki tried to block the second thrown shoe as it flew toward Bush, according to video of the incident shown on television. The shoe-thrower, who was in a group of journalists, was wrestled to the ground and taken away. ‘This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq,’ shouted the man, later identified by the Associated Press as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi- owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.”
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP…
