If the Shoe Fits

It seems fitting that President Bush would get pelted by shoes. No one wants to kill him, just throw their footwear at him.

Last week, while in Iraq at a news conference, an Iraqi journalist attending the news conference took off his shoes, one at a time, and threw them at the President of the United States.

In an interview after the incident President Bush was heard to say “ I saw his Sole”. Another journalist was quoted saying in his effort to avoid the pedal projectiles “President Bush hasn’t ducked that far left at any time during his 8 years in office”.

In a twisted way things seem sort of right with the world. In Iraq, throwing shoes at a person is an insult akin to flipping someone the bird. It shows a level of global disrespect that we aren’t used to, but which is all too prevalent toward the US nowadays. To us this act seems sort of silly, a lot like Bush himself. To the world it is just another in a long line of cartoon charactures of our man-child leader. It may even be one of the things that defines his presidency, like Jimmy Carter’s famous pond hopping rabbit.

After a while Bush seemed to recover with his typical swagger, not quite sure what went on but knowing he was out of danger. Sound like most of his reactions to Presidency defining moments? It did to me.

Unfortunately we are the recipients of his legacy and we will have to live with this on the world stage. We can only hope that the next President will repair our tarnished image, or put a shine back on things (no that isn't a racial reference, just a footwear one).

We can also hope that the Secret Service is quicker under the new administration. Why did it take two independent shoe removal and launchings before the armed (or should I say footed) assailant was subdued? Let’s just hope that the next group is better trained or the next attempt at humiliation of the President is done with something equally innocuous.

-Pedro