Over the weekend, Bush went to Iraq for the last time as President. He had just started a press conference with the Prime Minister (?) when an Iraqi journalist stood up, threw a shoe at him, then threw the other shoe at him and shouts that he's a dog, or something.
Later, Martha Raddatz (ABC News) spoke to him. In that conversation this is what Bush said about the incident:
Raddatz: It's also considered a huge insult in this world, the sole of a shoe, throwing a shoe.
Bush: I guess. Look they were humiliated. The press corps, the rest of the Iraqi press corps was humiliated. These guys were just besides themselves about, they felt like he had disgraced their entire press corps and I frankly, I didn't view it as, I thought it was interesting, I thought it was unusual to have a guy throw his show at you. But I'm not insulted. I don't hold it against the government. I don't think the Iraqi press corps as a whole is terrible. And so, the guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is. But whatever it is I'm sure somebody will hear it.
This is why George Bush has not made a good President. He doesn't even understand that it doesn't matter how he took it. He wasn't insulted, good for him. That's not the point. The point is someone is extremely upset at him and is trying to get him to understand something. He assumes the guy just wants to get on television. What an insult - he's assuming the man is like the reality TV people who will do anything just to be famous. He can't imagine what the guy's 'beef' is? He's purposely acting obtuse. He can't imagine that maybe the guy is upset about all the changes in his country over the last six years? Bush doesn't even have to characterize the changes, but not even acknowledge it? I don't know what his angle is by playing stupid. And "Somebody" will hear about it? Because Bush won't be bothered to listen to it. It has nothing to do with him. GRRRR...the man is infuriating.
Here is an article from Reuters that describes other MidEast reactions to the shoe insult.
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