Back from the dead

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Oooooooook, I'm back. I'm not even going to attempt to cover everything I've missed.

So I'll start with something that Gawker has already covered. I think they missed the funniest parts.

Truly a moment of Zen (TM Jon Stewart):




Excerpt from Bloomberg:

"Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush ducked two shoes thrown at him by an unidentified man during a press conference in the Iraqi prime minister’s office.

Bush wasn’t hit by the shoes, one of which sailed over his head. The president shrugged and said 'I’m OK' after the incident in Baghdad today. 'All I can report is it is a size 10,' Bush said.

In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect. The man shouted an Arabic phrase, which an Iraqi present said translated as 'this is a farewell kiss, dog.'

After U.S. troops pulled down a statue of former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraqi bystanders tossed shoes at it, according to news reports at the time.

The man threw the shoes from about 25 feet away as Bush, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, made formal remarks before the signing of an Iraqi-U.S. security agreement. Bush arrived today in Baghdad on a surprise visit.

The shoe-thrower, who was in a group of journalists, was wrestled to the ground and taken away."

First, I love that Bush is ignorant enough not to appreciate the cultural significance of his assailant's actions.

To Reiterate:
"In Arab culture, throwing shoes is a grave show of disrespect."

This little vignette perfectly illustrates how clueless this administration's leadership has been in Iraq.