shoes thrown at president bush

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Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack

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Cam/ron
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
At least Bush has a sense of humor about it, His response: "All I can report is it is a size 10."

Someone compared this act to throwing cream pies at politicans and other figures in front of TV cameras - they've been good for a cheap laugh (notable hits are Bill Gates and Anita Bryant) but they didn't force the targets to halt their business. Such attacks instead made their opposition look childish and not serious.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@Cam/ron: Such attacks also make me giggle uncontrollably. Pies are just too classic.
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PaintedTrollop
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
So, is this why they call 'em wing tips?
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stilken
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Hey jezebel do some investigative reporting, I want to know if this journalist just disappears to guantanamo.

also how are so many jezebels blaming this man for his anger? He has every right to be as angry as he does, and he is basically powerless against america and what we can do/have done to him and his country. can you really blame him for acting out his anger? he wasn't throwing a bomb, he was throwing a message.
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@stilken: I don't blame him one bit for his anger. In fact I feel tremendous sadness for him because his life is over if not literally then figuratively.

For this incident I do blame Bush's security team for being lackadaisical or arrogant or something to assume Bush can get up before a crowd of people unprotected and not have something happen. They simply cannot afford to be so complacent and not just for Bush's sake. For everyone's sake. Because if Bush has been killed, the consequences to all of us would be swift and severe at the hands of Dick Cheney.

Look at how quickly this Administration jumped up to support India (unspoken against Pakistan) after the terrorist strikes. Yes, India deserves support and compassion given there were terrorist strikes but the subtext of "support" there is "we'd probably let you nuke them if you show us enough evidence."

Since they only have until 1/20 to act, it frightens me of how easily they can take whatever out of context and release the Biblical holocaust that some of seem to believe they are inevitably a part of.

*shudder*
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@Tart of Darkness: And as I said below, I doubt very much he will even be taken to Guantanomo given there are so many more convenient places to take him closer by. After all he committed a crime in Iraq, a theoretically sovereign nation, not the United States. So the "Iraqi's" technically are in charge of him and they don't have the ability to put him in Guantanomo. They have their own prisons to deal with him.

I'm certain he will never be seen again.
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the_decider
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack

"Congratulations! You've just won yourself a trip to sunny Guantanamoooooo Baay!"
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the_decider
12/14/08

@the_decider needs the Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno cookie ...: ps I always assumed the hard living fried his brains away which is why he talks the way he does...but his reflexes were on point! Astonishing!
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@the_decider needs the Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno cookie ...: He'll be lucky to get as far as Guantanomo Bay.

(PS, love those cookies. Was just wondering why we never get them anymore)
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@the_decider needs the Lazzaroni Amaretti di Saronno cookie ...: He was amazingly fast.

I remember when a protester in eastern Europe (I think) easily hit ex-President Clinton with an egg. He didn't see it coming and the Secret Service acted much, much more quickly.
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shaken.not.stirred
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
I am most definitely not a Bush lover, but holy shit is he fast.

Did you all see those reflexes? And how he didn't stay down, but came right back up?

Unfortunately, all I can see know is Josh Brolin doing the same thing.
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@avery1458: I have to smile about the Josh Brolin thing. I haven't seen "W" but I did read "American Wife" so whenever I see Bush and Laura, my impressions are filtered through the "history" that Sittenfield created for them.

I don't think the guy thought it was a good idea. I just think he was expressing his rage at Bush. A rage that is obviously considerable given that his life is now probably over.
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raesanni
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Come on guys, all of us commenters on this site hate Bush, but we all know this was wrong. Were Obama on the unfavorable side of some issue in some other country -- maybe having a stance that supported israel while trying to speak with palestinians--, we'd be up in arms about this. A world leader is a world leader, and when any world presents him or herself to people (even opponents of their cause) they should not be pelted with shoes, or pies, or anything else like that. It's disgusting, it undermines the effectiveness of discussion and political discourse. Appalling, really.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@raysanni: PIES? No to PIES?? Have you no sense of humor at all?! Everyone wins when it's a pie!
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Raspberry Swirly
12/14/08

@raysanni: I think, if Obama managed to piss off a sizable majority of this country and the rest of the world, if he were shoe-whacked, we would feel the same. In fact, we might be MORE upset because so many of us were fervently supporting him, and he'd have to screw up pretty big to make everyone upset.
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raesanni
12/14/08

@MeganGlass: hmmm. to be honest, a pie CAN be funny. but, i hold fast to the belief that leaders are due at least basic levels of respect when they present themselves to other people.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@raysanni: I get your point, but I feel that as public servants they're deserving of all the jeers they can get when they fuck people over. Respect isn't automatic in my book.
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KidPresentable
12/14/08

@MeganGlass: Here in Canada, we have a recent history of pies in the face for politicians.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@KidPresentable: yeah, I love that about you fine neighbors to our north. And France. I love how the French just don't suffer fools without retaliating with a pie *at the least*.
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GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11)
12/14/08

@raysanni: In a way, I feel bad for Bush, however, part of that pity is the fact that he really seems to not get what he's done. So if getting a shoe thrown at him would in any way make that clearer, I'm all for it. That being said, anything that could have caused him actual harm, other than a puffy eye, I would be completely opposed to.

If it happened to Obama (assuming he doesn't eff up) we would be upset because he didn't deserve it. No one is saying Bush doesn't deserve it, just that it's not a very respectful thing to do to anyone.
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stilken
12/14/08

@raysanni: obama would never be in bush's position. bush does not engage in discussion or political discourse (diplomacy). bush's actions as president put him in the position that this man would want to throw shoes at him because that was all he could do let bush know how he felt.
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roodles
12/14/08

@goldengirl11: I totally agree, now that he's almost gone I feel myself feeling bad for Bush. But the shoe thing is hilarious. It's a SHOE, even if it had hit him in the face - which, honestly he deserved - it would not have killed him.

The following actions would have also been alright with me:

- a glass of wine/pie/bag of flour in the face

- an open handed slap in the face

- spitting on the floor in front of him

- the evil/stink eye

- a flaming bag of poo thrown in front of the podium
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

Dude, Bush is not "on the unfavorable side of some issue" to the IRAQIS- he INVADED their country, KILLED their innocent civilians, and wreaked havoc on their land. The damage over there is extensive. American soil has not been attacked in this way. American civilians have not been killed as a result of this war and we can still go to our shopping malls and feel safe in our own houses*. It's hard for us to understand their anger because we are experiencing this war from a completely different standpoint.

*Not "we' as I live in Canada but nevermind that.
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

@TurtleSpeak: Crap that was supposed to be @raysanni.
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raesanni
12/14/08

@stilken: just because u can't envision that obama would actually be in such a position (incurring as extreme disfavor from foreign citizens as bush had) doesnt mean u're unable to consider whether or not this shoe tossing incident is justified. the fact is that regardless of which leader the shoes are thrown at, it's wrong to throw shoes at a world leader at a press conference! i merely used obama as an example of another leader, whom we all at this site favor, in order to ask us to ignore our own dislike for bush and consider what actually happened a little more objectively.
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GoldenRatioφ (aka -girl11)
12/14/08

@roodles:

-red paint on his suit by Iraqi holding "PET(H)" sign

- billboard with Bush's picture with a giant "wtf?!!?" next to it

- epic nacho-cheese fart unleashed within a few feet of Bush

- mooning

@chamomile: I didn't make myself very clear- what I meant was that yes, it's disrespectful, but not undeserved to throw a shoe at Bush. Whereas a shoe thrown at Obama would be disrespectful AND undeserved.
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rah29
12/15/08

@raysanni: My objection to your argument has nothing to do with how much damage Bush has or hasn't done. I just don't think there's anything wrong at all with an occasional bit of shoe-throwing, any more than I thought it was anything other than hilarious when that guy chucked a purple condom full of flour at Tony Blair. I certainly don't think elected officials are 'due' any respect at all unless they earn it. I don't believe a thrown shoe undermines the effectiveness of 'serious' discussion at all; if anything, I think actions like that can generate discussion, particularly given their rarity (and I somehow doubt that shoe-throwing is going to become big in '09 given the kind of security surrounding the President).

Political leaders live in bubble-worlds of their own making, in which advisors and spin doctors construct essentially their own mini-reality; the kinds of mini-realities that emboldened and enabled Bush to go to war in the first place. In democratic societies, it's more than just our right to scrutinise those constructions--it's our duty, and one that I think can be hampered by this kind of deference to the 'office'. A shoe thrown at the President in that context is more than just a shoe; it's a public intrusion into the President's world, and it's one that Americans should have been making years ago.
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hagette
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Apparently, the man shouted, "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog!' before hurtling the shoes at him.

Love it.
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

@hagette: LMAO. This gets better and better.
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queenieinmanhattan
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Is it just me, or is it a bit scary that it took someone that long to stand in front of the president?
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@queenieinmanhattan: I think it speaks to something...maybe the arrogance that Bush carries around with him? Considering how hated he is, letting him be openly exposed to the possibility of being harmed seems very very foolish.

I'm having a hard time getting over the idea that his security people could be so bad or so foolish or something. It's like the wrong turns his advisors have taken at every chance.

If he had been assassinated I can't even imagine the international chaos because like him or not (me--definitely NOT) his murder in a foreign country would be a massive and grievous insult that our new president would address with vigor.

So, yeah, I'm really, really shocked.
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sylie
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Am I the only one who thought of Khrushchev?
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DangerMouse
12/14/08

@sylie: The historical figure or the commenter?
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randomnessish
12/14/08

@sylie: Ha! I couldn't help but think of the shoe-banging incident...I don't know which shoe-related incident is more fun.
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@sylie: I am now. Man...I was 6 or 7 during the missile crisis with a dad in the AF reserve and just the name Khrushchev makes me feel anxious.
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starlessnight (of the living dead)
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
I don't care how you feel about the President's policies. It is disrespectful to do something like that to any president or world leader. It just... undermines democracy. People speak with their votes, not their random improvised weapons. If things like this happened a lot, we'd essentially have anarchy. Also... secret service... wtf? The should not have let the guy throw 2 shoes before someone grabbed him.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@starlessnight: I think we'd have a lot more of this kind of thing in general here in america if we weren't such a litigious bunch. Shoes tossed don't undermine democracy. And people will always speak with their votes. Non-injurious comeuppances don't add up to anarchy. I think our political process might be a bit healthier, actually, if our politicians had to reckon with angry constituents hitting them with tomatoes. I mean, it's not like the letters we write them seem to do much. Maybe having to bear the brunt of our ire would steer them right.
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whatsername
12/14/08

@starlessnight: I can't get behind respecting someone with a title justbecause they have a title. Bush has done fuck all to earn my respect. In fact, he's done everything to earn my disgust.
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MeganGlass 就是一个古代的三明治
12/14/08

@whatsergem: 'Zackly!
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

@starlessnight: Maybe you would feel differently if the leader of another country sent their armies in to bomb you/your family/your neighbours/other innocent civilians... and then he came by for a friendly visit. I might throw a shoe or two myself. Probably my spiky heels or my Doc Martens.
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starlessnight (of the living dead)
12/14/08

@whatsergem: I think we're too old as a society to solve problems by invading countries or throwing shoes/tantrums. I don't love, say, Ahmadinejad but I wouldn't throw things at him. That's not how we should do things. Also, in this case, the crowed subdued the shoe thrower, but what if the crowd had done the opposite? What if an American had thrown a shoe at another country's leader? What if the whole crowd had started throwing things at him/her. You wouldn't approve of it then, surely. Don't let your displeasure with this president make you disrespect the office.
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
12/14/08

@starlessnight: Sorry, but arguments like this make me blind with rage. Takes me back my lame Catholic-school teachers in high school trying to get out of having to listen to a class discussion. Election day is once every four years, and we don't have much to choose from anyway. And this guy is Iraqi, he can't vote for the people who are running his country (read:us). I beleive our leaders owe us everything and we owe them nothing. If we can't hold them accountable all year round, and dump on them at least a little when they, um, bankrupt our nation, dismantle our federal government, and kill half a million+ civilians, then we are truly, truly fucked.
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rah29
12/15/08

@starlessnight: I love that notion--that you shouldn't 'disrespect the office.' No offense my lovely cross-pond Jezzies, but Americans are way too deferential to their political elite--which can lead to the lack of accountability that enabled Bush to perpetrate this war in the first place. So what if someone throws a shoe at the President? He's just a man, who has completely destroyed the shoe-thrower's country. That's democracy in its best form. Having a secret service detail and an eagle in your office doesn't entitle you to automatic respect; it has to be earned.
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rubber soul
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Too bad he missed.
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

@lez lemon: I thought the same thing. He must have been 1000x more frustrated than he was before, because he missed his chance at a small tiny bit of justice.
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Elaken
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Great, now Tyra is going to think she was justified in having security tackle the ANTM contestant when she took of her shoes.
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

@Elaken: When did this happen?!
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Elaken
12/14/08

@TurtleSpeak:

It was in an interview with the girl - I am so bad with names I can't even remotely remember who it was. But she said after she was eliminated she took of her shoes because heels hurt and Tyra called over security to stop her because Tyra thought she was going to throw them. Which is just classic Tyra I think. Even taking off your shoes somehow involves her.
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Mikey375
12/14/08

@Elaken: It was Victoria, from the season where Saleisha won. She was the girl that went to Yale that was cut for being too "prickly".

Now's the part when I slink back into my corner in shame. I can't believe this is in my head, sigh.
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cwisto moweina has got yer goat
12/14/08

@Mikey375: It was cycle 9 and she was the 3rd eliminated.

*sigh*
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MizJenkins
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
I'm just shocked it didn't happen sooner to be honest.
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Ditty Nicolaides
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
Did anyone else notice that not one Secret Service agent elected to "take a shoe" for the Prez? Great stuff.
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Tart of Darkness
12/14/08

@Ditty Nicolaides: I noticed that immediately. They didn't even TRY.
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TurtleSpeak
12/14/08

In reply to Video: President Bush Ducks Shoe Attack
I love this. Just love it. I have a hard time feeling sorry for him considering that he condones MUCH worse shit against others, including women in his own country (*Cough* forced pregnancies). It's not like it was a bomb or a knife. Fuck George W Bush.
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