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Saddam and the Shoe Thrower
Al-Zaidi’s brother, Uday, appealed to Iraq’s prominent Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani to convince the Iraqi government to release his brother. Uday said in a televised message that if his brother made a mistake, “I would be the first to admit it.” But he did not apologize.
The Iraqi government is still investigating this week’s failed coup attempt, in which 35 Iraqis, including four generals, were arrested, the New York Times reported.
Contrary to reports in the American and Arab media, readers’ comments on Elaph.com showed that eight out of 10 Arabs who responded on that site condemned the shoe attack as a shameful and unprofessional act.
The Arab world’s leading political columnist, Hazem Saghia, writing in the London-based Al-Hayat daily newspaper, said Thursday it was “ironic that after living nearly a third of a century under Saddam Hussein’s boots, an Iraqi decides to throw his shoes at the person who removed Saddam from power.”
Saghia said that after all is said and done, “Bush came to Iraq, signed the security agreement he wanted, and left after casually taking note of al-Zaidi’s show size. Thus, we’re even. He got what he wanted, and we’re left with shoes that missed their target. Perhaps we deserve to be ruled by someone like Saddam Hussein.”
Earlier piece on shoe-gate by the author.
Salameh Nematt is the international editor of 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.
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Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Martin Jacques is the cofounder of the UK think tank Demos, writes a regular column for The Guardian, and is a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre. His new book, When China Rules the World, is available now.
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Christopher Buckley's books include Supreme Courtship, The White House Mess, Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and Florence of Arabia. He was chief speechwriter for Vice President George H.W. Bush, and is editor-at-large of ForbesLife magazine. His new book is Losing Mum and Pup, a memoir. Buckley's Daily Beast column is the winner of an Online Journalism Award in the category of Online Commentary.
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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.
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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.
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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.
So, this isn't some popular hero but a representative of a vicious regime trying to get back in power.
And go figure that having deposed a Sadaam Hussein whose favorites have to contend with those they ruled for influence that they'd hold a grudge.
Genuine representative rule in Iraq is a good thing.
The Baath party was started by the Nazis in thw 30's to topple the British rule in Iraq.
and not only that; he's a Journalist!
First of all, bush's visit was a surprise so I don't see how could he be planning the attack for a year.
I don't also understand how anybody could be defending Saddam or his party al baath. The guy killed more than a million within and outside iraq. that's why many intellectuals in the arab world see this war as a sick way to achieve a greater good.
However, to say the shoe throwing is weird or inexplicable that's just beyond stupid. More than hundred thousand Iraqi's died and a civil war started. Their schools, hospitals, markets...are destroyed. If you genuinely can't see that as reason for some people to throw shoes at you, I'm afraid you are too self involved.
Sunday night on History InternationalThe Nazis and the Baath party
This article is complete innuendo. Bush doesn't seem to get that this man represents the deep rooted frustration felt by Americans and Iraqis regarding his bogus war waged in Iraq and the millions Iraqi and American lives lost as a consequence. I think this shoe throwing act was the only Hand of Courage seen in a long time. I just wish he hadn't missed.
The fact that the man is in jail for throwing a shoe and hurling an insult, shows that the west has failed to even establish freedom of speech in Iraq, much less anything else of note.
@rachelsian
What? Did I read that correctly: throwing a shoe at the President is free speech? I guess that any crime is just expression of free speech too.
And I hope Iraq grows strong independently, our job was (or should be) to establish security for a safe political environment not to establish policy in itself. Granted, we (the west) have a lot of modern liberal policies that could help Iraq greatly, it would be a grave mistake for us to impose them on Iraq: that would be imperialism.
More than hundred thousand Iraqi's died. Not true http://www.iraqbodycount.org/. Although the stats from the hysterical left have dropped some in the face of reality. I remember when they said that we had killed 1,000,000 Iraqis.
We are not responsible for murder committed by someone else. The casualties of the civil war are lower than the casualties from their former ruler.
Iraq, with all of its problems, is better off today than before we came.
you're a sucker if you believe anything in the iraqi media, especially since it's already been proven that they are basically paid to plant stories by the pentagon. i happen to know for a fact that none of the major news organizations in iraq even bother to translate the news articles in iraqi papers any more, even though they pay attention to opinion pieces. the iraqi press is just a pile of crap, and so is this report by salameh nematt.
He deserves to be in jail. This was attempted assault. he is lucky the shoes missed because if they did hit the President, he would be in much more trouble than he is right now. Throwing a show in an attempt to hit someone is not freedom of speech. Trying throwing your show or anything at the President here in America and see what happens to you.
I know I sent him 10 bucks.
FYI;
Thursday, December 18, 2008
18 Dead, Dozens Wounded in Baghdad Bombings;
Coup Plot Foiled;
US Fires on Fallujah Shoe-Throwers
Smells lke victory,no?
All Things Considered, December 15, 2008 · Several thousand people demonstrated in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities to demand the release of the Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at President Bush. Muntadhar al-Zeidi was arrested after Sunday's incident and charges may be filed against him.
They had pictures of our chimp in chief, hitting it with their shoe.
AH democracy aint it grand?
it's the terrorists again! do you all want some more money and power too?
Operative words here, may, maybe, could be and so on. I agree that this was an impromptu meeting, now how could he have known the President was coming, or that he would be allowed in?
The best that can be said is this anti western Saddam supporter, if he is, took advantage of a rare opportunity.
Do not kill the messenger here, because the message was so perfect.
you're right when the documented number is 98 thousands a hundred thousand for the whole mess is very untrue.
Regarding the civil war, nobody is blaming the US for the killings. However, when you overthrow a system, you should offer protection for the citizen of that country. Check the international law. Also, the US is supporting sunni militias because they are fighting Al-Queda, regardless of how they destabilize the country. Remember sunni militias? the ones who were killing American soldiers years ago?
Mr. Nematt u are really something. how could this guy (the shoe thrower) know one yr in advance?come on. who u are working for. I have lived in the Middle East for 10 yrs know how those folks work, think eat u name it. and also u agree with that this young man was tortured? typical Middle East or shall I say typical the world afterall even the US have tortured people.
I've noted a trend in American media growing: trial by media.
People are accused, tried, and found guilty by innuendo repeated by people with agendas. This seems to be a very quick way to undermine our society of law.
Please read and analyze implications and insinuations put forth as fact and then repeated. It worked for Bush heading into this war and it seems to work frequently with many political stories lately including the Blago/Obama connection.
This seems another perfect example. It COULD all be true.
BUT just sayin.'
@ Wagthedog1001
You must have missed the Donovan Trial during the Reagan Adminstration.
The call and NEED for Reform has never been greater than in our current times. Where is TR when we need him most? Not only did he understand these things so well, but he had a Hearty appetite, no .... LUST, for correcting such imbalances as we are seeing today. A little balls would come in handy right about now. And NOT the 9 ball combination shot that's being considered and will only result in the 8 falling into a corner pocket. But what else could we expect from eggheads that have ruined the World Economy.
Being as I am always the Boy Scout, and now watching eagles fly above ponds in remote areas, and no longer the neighbor's brick wall, you might find some curiosity in reconnoitering my exact positon. Topography being what it is. Laying it over NW Pakistan will 'point' to the exact location of our foe, not far from the missle strike a few weeks back taking out his COMMUNICATIONS Lieutenant. And to think I have been here for over a year and no one has noticed. Oy Vey.
As far as the nine ball combination shot, by all means set it up. Take the money. And then change your shot. The correct shot is to withhold the money and watch as the bidders appear and the deal sweetens for The People. If the bastards want to hoard, show them how to do it correctly. And then spend the money with a hearty, tooth gapped, TR "Back to Work".
Before you trot out the Psychologists, you might want to vet them about their normal course of business, which by all evidence appears only to be writing Fictional Accounts of purported psychology, while sleeping with your ex during a Divorce Proceeding. How 'visionary'.
Freedom is overrated, the more freedom we give them the worse its going to get. Sure for a time things may get better but sooner or later iraq will fly into a civil war, so it should be interesting to see how long we will stay there, another 20 years? Maybe, I just don't see how that area of the world is going to get better considering iraq it self as a country makes no sense. I also wonder once the military leaves some form of Sharia law will come to be, and then what, will we finally say what a waste of time.
magicman:
WTF are you babbling about?
Thank you.
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