Nice move, Mr. President!

[M GO BLUE!!!]

The video: BBC NEWS | World | Shoes hurled at President Bush (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7782774.stm)

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Shoes thrown at Bush on Iraq trip (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7782422.stm)

A surprise visit by US President George Bush to Iraq has been overshadowed by an incident in which two shoes were thrown at him during a news conference.

An Iraqi journalist was wrestled to the floor by security guards after he called Mr Bush "a dog" and threw his footwear, just missing the president.

The soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult in Arab culture.

During the trip, Mr Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki signed the new security agreement between their countries.

The pact calls for US troops to leave Iraq in 2011 - eight years after the 2003 invasion that has in part defined the Bush presidency.

Speaking just over five weeks before he hands over power to Barack Obama, Mr Bush also said the war in Iraq was not over and more work remained to be done.

His previously unannounced visit came a day after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told US troops the Iraq mission was in its "endgame".

In the middle of the news conference with Mr Maliki, a reporter stood up and shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog," before hurtling his shoes at Mr Bush, narrowly missing him.

"All I can report is a size 10," Mr Bush said according to the Associated Press news agency.

The shoe thrower was taken away by security guards and the news conference continued.

Correspondents called it a symbolic incident. Iraqis threw shoes and used them to beat Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad after his overthrow.

[JonInMiddleGA]

LOL, love the "size 10" response.

[BYU 14]

At least it proves the Iraqis have embraced democracy.....That never would have happened under Sadam :)

[Noop]

http://www.allpichost.com/upload/746_bush_shoe1.gif

[Noop]

At least our president has reflexes like a cat, he must have been a hell of a dodge ball player.

[Kodos]

Good thing he wasn't wearing clogs!

[GrantDawg]

That's awesome!

[bhlloy]

Did the secret service move onto Obama already? Or do they have to take a bullet for the president, but not a shoe? :)

[Young Drachma]

That's kinda awesome. The whole exchange. Bush and how he dodged them so well and the guy and well..yeah.

[Young Drachma]

The fact that he got the second shoe off is pretty impressive work.

[JonInMiddleGA]

OMG, Bush looked like he was ready to give the guy another crack at it.

[GrantDawg]

The fact that he got the second shoe off is pretty impressive work.


He' the fastest shoe in the Middle East.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

The fact that he got the second shoe off is pretty impressive work.

It seems like when he started yelling, Bush was the only one to react.

[Big Fo]

Dodging the shoe was possibly his biggest accomplishment as President.

[Lorena]

Hella reflexes by both the journalist and the Prez.

[QuikSand]

The fact that he got the second shoe off is pretty impressive work.

In a few days we'll see website popping up saying it would have been impossible to get two shoes off in that amount of time, that there obviously had to be other shoe-men positioned behind the sandy knoll.

[Marc Vaughan]

ETA to first web game where you throw shoes at the president .... 10 minutes and counting ;)

[kcchief19]

Very nimble move. Pretty amazing first throw by the journalist too. Shoes are tough to throw. I'd imagine my first few throws would have sailed high or embeded in the podium. He must have practiced to get off two pretty accurate throws like that.

Not quite as good as his dad booting on the Japanese prime minister, but still a nice way to go out on a high note.

[kcchief19]

Then again, are we sure he was actually an Iraqi journalist? Maybe he's just a fan of the Baghdad Tigers and thought that Bush had just been named the team's new head coach.

[Apathetic Lurker]

Is it me or is the guy at the end, in the green and red, holding a shiv?

I cant tell

[Senator]

In a few days we'll see website popping up saying it would have been impossible to get two shoes off in that amount of time, that there obviously had to be other shoe-men positioned behind the sandy knoll.

Quite. It does seem to my untrained eye, that Bush's head went BACK and to the LEFT.

[Senator]

Did the secret service move onto Obama already? Or do they have to take a bullet for the president, but not a shoe? :)

The secret service guys seemed to be a little on the slow side here.

[RedKingGold]

Who throws a shoe?

Honestly.

[Groundhog]

That's the greatest thing I've ever seen.

[Anthony]

The secret service guys seemed to be a little on the slow side here.

yeah, no way that piece of shit should've been able to get off that 2nd shot off so quickly. black eye for our Secret Service.

[kingfc22]

Too funny, but where the hell was the secret service at?

[Greyroofoo]

Too funny, but where the hell was the secret service at?

Proof that it's a conspiracy.

[SportsDino]

The guy who knocks him down seems to be holding a notebook or computer.

Pretty nutty that he even got the first one off, you would think as soon as someone stands when they are not supposed to that either he or the president would be tackled by a secret service agent about two seconds later. Good thing the president (whatever his faults) has ninja-like reflexes.

[ISiddiqui]

Yeah, really... talk about agility in your chief executive.

[sterlingice]

Who throws a shoe?

Honestly.

Seriously? It took us this long to get this post? That was instantly my first thought :D

SI

[Lorena]

Who throws a shoe?

Honestly.

My grandma did. The older she got, the more creative she had to get to whoop us when we were bad. If we were farther than arm's reach, she'd chuck it at us, if we were close, she'd take it off and whack us with it.

[JediKooter]

I got to give Dubya some props on those moves. The only thing that would have made it better is if he threw a shoe back at the guy.

[Anthony]

now, the excellent dodging by our President is admirable.

but what if he caught the shoes? where does this place him in the pantheon of awesomeness? i'm being serious. how awesome would that have been if he caught the shoes?

[ISiddiqui]

Even better, he catches the shoes and then crushes them into ashes in his hands.

[Chief Rum]

now, the excellent dodging by our President is admirable.

but what if he caught the shoes? where does this place him in the pantheon of awesomeness? i'm being serious. how awesome would that have been if he caught the shoes?

Even better, he tries them on. Says thanks! and walks out.

[sterlingice]

Even better, he catches the shoes and then crushes them into ashes in his hands.

No, that would have been this man:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg/800px-Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg

SI

[sterlingice]

Even better, he tries them on. Says thanks! and walks out.

Is our economy really that bad that we're taking shoes the Iraqis don't even want? ;)

SI

[sterlingice]

Also,

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/sterlingice/random/threaddelivers.jpg

SI

[Mustang]

L1 button : Bush answers questions dodges if you press L1 in conjuction with the left stick.

L2 button : Activates shoe time.

L3 button : Bush crouches

[RedKingGold]

My grandma did. The older she got, the more creative she had to get to whoop us when we were bad. If we were farther than arm's reach, she'd chuck it at us, if we were close, she'd take it off and whack us with it.

Well, I was referring to this:

YouTube - who throws a shoe (austin powers) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5oKEVqQJg)

[CU Tiger]

Watch the Iraqi counterpart.
He doesn't even realize the first one has been thrown, and makes a weak feeble attempt at swatting the second one....

[King of New York]

Watch the Iraqi counterpart.
He doesn't even realize the first one has been thrown, and makes a weak feeble attempt at swatting the second one....

I found his pathetic swipe at the second shoe to the funniest part of the whole thing. Clearly he is part of the conspiracy.

[TCY Junkie]

It is time for everyone to apologize to Bush. He wasn't surprised at all that the guy had two of those things.

[ISiddiqui]

No, that would have been this man:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg/800px-Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg

SI

He would just have to look at the shoe to have it disintegrate.

[judicial clerk]

Those secret service guys are gonna catch some serious shit. They looked slower than roy wiliams trying to cover a mediocre wideout.

[st.cronin]

This makes me feel much better about President Obama. In a world where dodging shoes is becoming more important every day, who would you rather have behind the podium, Obama or McCain? I think obviously the answer is Obama.

[tyketime]

Hey "W"... if that President thing doesn't work out for you... maybe you could step into the ring with Oscar De La Hoya. I hear he's looking for just one more big payday.

"Let's Get Ready to Stumble..."

[Chief Rum]

No, that would have been this man:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg/800px-Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg

SI

You know, it's kinda like looking into the Eye of Sauron. I'm crippled with fear just looking at this picture.

[astrosfan64]

The best part about this whole thing is that damn smirk Bush has on his face.

He is basically chuckling at the guy. Bush had some great moments and this was one of them.

Don't forget the time he rubbed the PM's back from Germany. That was great as well.

[ISiddiqui]

This makes me feel much better about President Obama. In a world where dodging shoes is becoming more important every day, who would you rather have behind the podium, Obama or McCain? I think obviously the answer is Obama.

Obama would have turned that shoe into a unicorn and it would have flown around the land, bringing peace and hope to the people.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

The embed video cuts off a bit early. Right as Bush ducks the second shoe, you'll see a guy in a suit coming in from the left hand side of the screen. That's the personal Secret Service guy for Bush. That guy was going to take Bush out of the room, but you'll notice if you watch a longer video clip that Bush waves him off and smiles. Pretty impressive that Bush wanted to stay in the batter's box after ducking two beanballs disguised as Size 10 shoes. Most people would have bailed assuming the next object would be a grenade considering it's still a war zone.

[KWhit]

In the middle of the news conference with Mr Maliki, a reporter stood up and shouted "this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog."


http://cm.iparenting.com/fc/editor_files/images/1042/Articles/Head_Shoot_BW-Randy_Jackson.jpg

[JPhillips]

The embed video cuts off a bit early. Right as Bush ducks the second shoe, you'll see a guy in a suit coming in from the left hand side of the screen. That's the personal Secret Service guy for Bush. That guy was going to take Bush out of the room, but you'll notice if you watch a longer video clip that Bush waves him off and smiles. Pretty impressive that Bush wanted to stay in the batter's box after ducking two beanballs disguised as Size 10 shoes. Most people would have bailed assuming the next object would be a grenade considering it's still a war zone.

If you had two shoes and a grenade wouldn't you throw the grenade first?

[Butter]

That's exactly what they'd be expecting you to do.

[Kodos]

Even better, he catches the shoes and then crushes them into ashes in his hands.

This one made me laugh. :D

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If you had two shoes and a grenade wouldn't you throw the grenade first?

Extremist muslims use their own body as a means of delivery for a bomb. Never assume that logic is involved.

[Buccaneer]

Obama would have turned that shoe into a unicorn and it would have flown around the land, bringing peace and hope to the people.

He would only been able to turn a shoe into a rat if it had happened in Chicago.

[Barkeep49]

First I agree with the props to Bush for his move.

I do see the security issue as troubling though. I've seen longer clips as well and the Secret Service does move in. I'm willing to give the Secret Service a little break here since presumably the journalists entering were screened for weapons and so their guard was placed differently than in a more public event.

Either that or Secret Service agents have to take bullets for the President but not shoes :).

[flere-imsaho]

That's the way I saw it: he's in the Green Zone, in a small, controlled room with pre-screened (and presumably well known) journalists. The threat level wasn't very high (shoes notwithstanding).

[lungs]

I hope this terrorist is on the first ship to Guantanamo where he should be locked up and the key thrown away.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I hope this terrorist is on the first ship to Guantanamo where he should be locked up and the key thrown away.

You forgot about the Metallica and Rob Zombie music in the cell.

[Fighter of Foo]

Sadly, there's been infinitely more coverage of the Illinois governor than this:

http://levin.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=305735

"On February 7, 2002, President George W. Bush made a written determination that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which would have afforded minimum standards for humane treatment, did not apply to al Qaeda or Taliban detainees. Following the President’s determination, techniques such as waterboarding, nudity, and stress positions, used in SERE training to simulate tactics used by enemies that refuse to follow the Geneva Conventions, were authorized for use in interrogations of detainees in U.S. custody."...

"The abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib in late 2003 was not simply the result of a few soldiers acting on their own. Interrogation techniques such as stripping detainees of their clothes, placing them in stress positions, and using military working dogs to intimidate them appeared in Iraq only after they had been approved for use in Afghanistan and at GTMO. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s December 2, 2002 authorization of aggressive interrogation techniques and subsequent interrogation policies and plans approved by senior military and civilian officials conveyed the message that physical pressures and degradation were appropriate treatment for detainees in U.S. military custody. What followed was an erosion in standards dictating that detainees be treated humanely."

They deserve to have a hell of a lot more than shoes thrown at them.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

They deserve to have a hell of a lot more than shoes thrown at them.

Yeah, because there's hundreds of innocent people tortured on the far end of Cuba. Oh the humanity.

I have far more sympathy for the guy who tossed the shoe and his situation.

[lungs]

You forgot about the Metallica and Rob Zombie music in the cell.

George Bush might enjoy Metallica and Rob Zombie, though.

[JPhillips]

Yeah, because there's hundreds of innocent people tortured on the far end of Cuba. Oh the humanity.

I have far more sympathy for the guy who tossed the shoe and his situation.

What does Chewbacca have to do with this?

[Pyser]

my favorite part of this was the cnn main page, that added "in their culture throwing your shoes is a sign of disrespect."

they are SO different from us!!

[Antmeister]

This makes me feel much better about President Obama. In a world where dodging shoes is becoming more important every day, who would you rather have behind the podium, Obama or McCain? I think obviously the answer is Obama. This would make a great movie trailer quote.

[Lorena]

Obama would have turned that shoe into a unicorn and it would have flown around the land, bringing peace and hope to the people.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

[SunDevil]

This video is awesome. I wish the shoe would of actually hit though.

[PLD3009]

Bush must have plenty of shoes

why didnt this guy throw something at him Bush would have found more useful

like a brain perhaps?

[sterlingice]

I hope this terrorist is on the first ship to Guantanamo where he should be locked up and the key thrown away.

Seriously?

SI

[gstelmack]

I hereby recommend at least boxings for all the folks trying to turn this into a serious discussion. More shoe jokes please!

[Maple Leafs]

http://www.allpichost.com/upload/746_bush_shoe1.gif
That tackle at the end is a pretty blatant horse collar. 15 yards.

[Maple Leafs]

By the way, clearly the correct play here would be to lob the first shoe high into the air, then throw the chin music with the second one when Bush is looking up.

[Kodos]

Dodgeball tactics!

[QuikSand]

I just can't see a day when there's nothing left to add to this thread.

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

The worst part about this whole Shoegate is it has caused that terrible Austin Powers movie to reenter the zeitgeist, if only (hopefully) for today.

[Subby]

Catch shoe in butt - CHECK

Return fire - CHECK

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Befuddled/backwards.gif

[Anthony]

i like how the Iraqi minister standing next to Bush gave one of those half attempts to block the 2nd shoe, much like when you're standing in an elivator and the doors are closing and someone is shouting "hold the doors" but since you don't want to be late you make that awkward gesture as if you were going to press the button to open the door but Oh Damn! it's too late, the doors closed. i haven't seen such a half-hearted attempt since Milwaukee offered Sabathia a below competitive contract to play in such a bad market as Milwaukee is in. as if Sabathia choices were going to be "1. the glitz and hometown of Los Angeles, 2. the biggest market in the world in NY to play for the Yankees or 3. Milwaukee."

[Chief Rum]

I hope this terrorist is on the first ship to Guantanamo where he should be locked up and the key thrown away.

As long as he is also fed daily his cock meat sandwich, all will be well.

[Dutch]

No, that would have been this man:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg/800px-Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg

SI

Hillary Clinton?

[lungs]

Seriously?

SI

Dude.

[Neuqua]

ETA to first web game where you throw shoes at the president .... 10 minutes and counting ;)

hxxp://www.t-enterprise.co.uk/flashgame/playgame.aspx?id=bushbootcamp

[Fidatelo]

hxxp://www.t-enterprise.co.uk/flashgame/playgame.aspx?id=bushbootcamp

Am I the only one that had to play this 3 times before I understood I was supposed to shoot at the shoes and not at the president?

[Klinglerware]

Am I the only one that had to play this 3 times before I understood I was supposed to shoot at the shoes and not at the president?

http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/photos/duckhunt_dog_laugh.gif

[dervack]

The funnier comment with regards to shoes also comes from Bush. When someone asked if he knew what the guy said, he replied "No, but I saw his sole."

[Neuqua]

I enjoyed Subby's post.

[SFL Cat]

No, that would have been this man:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg/800px-Cheney-Balad-Iraq-Mar2008.jpg

SI

Actually if someone had thrown a shoe at Cheney, this would have been his reaction...

http://www.eyeonstarwars.com/trilogy/character/images/emperor2.jpg

[Autumn]

Yeah, that whole thing is pretty surreal. The fact that Bush just stood back up straight after the first one. You would think after 8 years of being president you'd be more paranoid than that.

Did anybody notice this guy taking his shoes off? Or did he bring extras. Imagine sitting next to him and watching this reporter untying his shoes. I'd be giving him some dirty looks.