“How would al-Zaidi have fared if he’d hurled a pair of shoes at Saddam?”
Toby Harnden of London’s Daily Telegraph, referring to the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush as the President was speaking to reporters in Iraq at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Maliki.
Watch a video of the press conference, and another of President Bush visiting some troops in Iraq. (scroll down for videos)
Responding to a reporter’s question about the incident, President Bush said:
“So what if the guy threw his shoe at me? Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It’s one way to gain attention. It’s like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It’s like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. … I don’t know what the guy’s cause is. But one thing is for certain. He caused you to ask me a question about it. I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it. These [Iraqi] journalists here were very apologetic. They were, you know, they said this doesn’t represent the Iraqi people, but that’s what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves. I guess he was effective, because he caused you to say something about it.”
