Blogs and Stories
Artful Dodging
Shoes aren’t the only things President Bush had to duck this week—Arab cartoonists from around the world have been taking their best shots in newspapers, on websites and blogs. Do the following cartoons (complete with translated captions) hit the mark or step on the joke?
Plus: Salameh Nematt on the Arab world’s reaction to shoegate.
Click Image To View Gallery
How Rich People Smoke Pot
Paul Schrodt is a writer living in New York City. He has contributed to New York magazine, Radar, and Esquire.com.
Stars Celebrate the Super Bowl
The Daily Beast is dedicated to news and commentary, culture, and entertainment. We carefully curate the web’s most essential stories and bring you original must-reads from our talented contributors.
Jordan in the Crosshairs
Salameh Nematt is an international writer for The Daily Beast. He is the former Washington bureau chief for the international Arab daily Al Hayat, where he reported on US foreign policy, the war in Iraq, and the US drive for democratization in the broader Middle East. He has also written extensively on regional and global energy issues and their political implications.
A Double Agent for the Taliban?
Salameh Nematt is an international writer for The Daily Beast. He is the former Washington bureau chief for the international Arab daily Al Hayat, where he reported on US foreign policy, the war in Iraq, and the US drive for democratization in the broader Middle East. He has also written extensively on regional and global energy issues and their political implications.
Qaddafi Struts In
Salameh Nematt is an international writer for The Daily Beast. He is the former Washington bureau chief for the international Arab daily Al Hayat, where he reported on US foreign policy, the war in Iraq, and the US drive for democratization in the broader Middle East. He has also written extensively on regional and global energy issues and their political implications.
spinozareader
For me-- the winner is the New Shoe Patriot Missiles.
(No threat is too small for a little shock & awe!)
emarbee
You know I couldn't stop laughing about this until I read the words Mr. al-Zeidi said as he threw his shoes at Bush. His anger towards Bush was fueled by this dirty war for profit we have going on in Iraq. How many people have died because of "faulty intelligence"? How many people have been injured in this search for WMD that the United States sold or gave to Hussein? I ask the Iraqi people for forgiveness for the actions of our leaders and the inaction of it's citizens. I applaud the action of al-Zeidi and appreciate it's cultural significance. Thank you for the early Christmas present! Marvin in Dallas
PJofBillsville
Sweets. Flowers. Now shoes. Yeah, that worked out real well.
idiotking
I think the "If I had known this would be the end, I wouldn't have started" cartoon has the best mix of humor and painfully pointed commentary.
wbishop12
I would like to think that at least one person over there realizes two things.
- That they can print cartoons like these, and we don't start massive demonstrations chanting, "Death to (insert country here)!
-That we can print even worse and not have to worry about retribution.
jaclynde
Yes, they need to release the man who did that, because by keeping him in prison and allegedly torturing him, we're not sending the message that freedom of expression is OK.
bwoodruff
Is anyone else bothered by the consistently heavy aviation themes? I mean, I get that the shoe was flying, and I'm all for the shoe thrower (my hope is that Bush is plagued by Nikes for life), but I guess the one with just a shoe on an airplane headed for the US was a little weird. Anybody else uncomfortable?
Thank you.
As a first time user, your comment has been submitted for review. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a day or two for your comment to be reviewed, depending on the time of week and the volume of comments we receive.