But here's the thing- while I disapprove of Bush, I am truly offended by this jerk-face "journalist" Muntather Zaidi, who saw it fit to take off his loafers and chuck them at the President. Did I laugh at the video when it first played? Yes, it was an insane moment. But then I got to thinking about it, and I put this episode into a greater context which includes the following: over 4,200 military deaths, over 30,000 wounded and over $600 billion spent by U.S. taxpayers. Despite our misgivings towards this war, the U.S. has not abandoned Iraq. And as of now, Iraq is its most secure since the beginning of the war in 2003.
Don't get me wrong, I do not expect Iraqis to be universally appreciative of us invading their country and upending their world. War adds up to death on all sides. And the Iraqi people have suffered as a result. But this so-called courageous shoe-thrower is without any valor or purpose. It's an act of irrational emotion. It's also an insult to this country, which has continually involved itself in this backwards part of the world. The very reason why this war has been so protracted is that a significant portion of Iraqis are not civilized. Sorry, it sounds bigoted of me to say it, but I'm giving you my honest assessment. This is a country that submitted itself to the rule of a dictator for decades. This is a country where people are willing to blow each other up on a daily basis (they have killed far more of their own people than they have U.S. troops). And while this shoe man may not be an insurgent by association, he exhibits the same lack of enlightenment that we have had to combat for the past several years. And people in Iraq have now embraced this prankster as a hero, taking to the streets and holding up their shoes, like a scene out of "Wag the Dog."
I'm sure there is a large portion of Iraqis that are well-tempered and rational. But it seems odd to me that this somewhat professional person is not roundly shunned by his own media and society. No matter your political leanings, if this childish act of cowardice happened here it wouldn't be praised by any emotionally-balanced individual. Could you imagine Tom Brokaw throwing a shoe at the President on Meet The Press? Brokaw would be out on his ass immediately (and rightly so). So, why should it be any different for a member of the Iraqi press? Do we give him a pass because he's an Iraqi? Do we hold him to a lower standard than we do our own journalists? To do so would be a real form of bigotry in my mind.
Muntather Zaidi is another "Don't Tase Me, Bro!" idiot, but his behavior is far worse. He reflects something that I personally find disturbing- a backwardness that cripples Iraq. Where was this "hero" when Saddam Hussein was killing millions of his own countrymen for decades? Or should I ask, where were his shoes? I hope that Zaidi got punched by those who subdued him in that press briefing. He deserved each and every shot dealt to him, and then some.
P.S. You're doin' a heck of a job, Secret Service. Are any of you agents named "Brownie" by chance?
The oddest part of the video is at the very end when the Secret Service schlub finally gets his lazy ass up to the podium and Bush calmly motions for him to stand down. Really, Mr. President? You're abroad in a hostile country and an angry civilian just threw their shoe. Maybe you want to leave the room for a bit?
ReplyDeleteRickey finds it ironic that you refer to the cradle of civilization as uncivilized. Yeah, they're poor, they're downtrodden, and they're pissed, and yes, much of it is due to Saddam, but the 90-100K estimated civilian deaths caused by the occupation don't exactly help the situation.
The Bronze Age was a long time ago!
ReplyDeleteI completely acknowledge the anger millions of Iraqis feel about the U.S. destroying their country and ham-fistedly trying to piece it back together. I'm pissed about it and I'm not an Iraqi. But the main reason why they've stopped blowing each other up recently is because their tribal leaders have told them to knock it off. The country is comprised of gangs. That's not civilized in my book.