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Muntadar al-Zaidi: ‘Shoe-Missile’ Man Gets 3 Years In Jail

Posted by SWARAAJ CHAUHAN, International Columnist in At TMV.
Mar 14th, 2009 | Comments

The image shown above of George W. Bush smartly ducking a shoe aimed at him, is unlikely to be erased from public memory whenever there is a mention of the former President of the USA. Similarly, the perpetrator of the shoe-missile incident, who has now been awarded a three-year jail term for this indiscretion, is unlikely to be forgotten.

“Long live Iraq!” shouted Muntadar al-Zaidi, the 30-year-old Iraqi television journalist, as the sentence against him was handed down, reports The Washington Post.

“In a case that bordered on both the farcical and poignant, Zaidi became a folk hero in the Arab world after hurling both shoes, with a mean swing, at Bush during a news conference Dec. 14.

“Bush nimbly ducked, in what immediately became a lasting image of the war that began when his administration ordered an invasion of Iraq in March 2003.” More here…

And here…

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JSpencer

Why isn't there some influential clout coming from the USA to help get this sentence thrown out? As al-Zaidi's defense attorney stated, "It wasn't a rocket, it was a shoe." A three year sentence for throwing a shoe at anyone is insane.

Manchester2

"Bush nimbly ducked..."

That's an apt description of how Bush governed. It was amazing how little effect his critics seemed to have upon him. Supporters would say he had the courage of his convictions. Detractors would call it woefully and dangerously stubborn. We'll see what history says, but I suspect it will be positive.

JSpencer

Impervious to reason is how I'd put it. I hope you're wrong about historians glossing over his failed reign, as none of us are well served by history revisionists.

From the second link:

A man in Tikrit, ousted president Saddam Hussein's home town, erected a sculpture of the shoe that Iraq's parliament ordered removed, and a Saudi businessman was said to have volunteered $10 million for Zaidi's shoes. A Lebanese channel offered him a job and said that if he accepted, it would retroactively pay him from the day he hurled the shoes.

Wow! That's even more than the Ruby Slippers! I sincerely hope al-Zaidi never has to serve that time, but if he does I expect he will be treated unusually well during his incarceration.

Silhouette

"Zaidi became a folk hero in the Arab world "
**********

Not just the Arab world pal. He's a folk hero in countries all over the globe. He is one of my personal heros. The terrorists who have done the most damage worldwide have just left the Whitehouse this January.

sage1

In your view, a criminal act is apparently legal if it is ultimately unsuccessful. al-Zaidi's act didn't cause any harm to the American President because "W" was quick with his Texas draw. No one else was injured because the President's security detail kept their cool and didn't respond in a manner that could have injured al-Zaidi or those around him. Fortunately, the measured response mitigated the danger of al-Zaidi's reckless and criminal act. Richard Reid was similarly unsuccessful in his criminal endeavors. Should we drop his charge to warming an airplane meal outside of the galley? If you want to continue this discussion, come see me at my home court -www.mindreign.com

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