Protestor throws shoe at Bush while at a news conference in Iraq.
Wired PR News.com – President George W. Bush was forced to dodge not one, but two shoes unexpectedly thrown at him during a news conference in Iraq. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), a protestor yelled “This is a farewell kiss, you dog!” in Arabic as he threw two shoes at the president which were said to miss his head before hitting the wall behind him.
The protestor was stated to be Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Cairo based Al-Baghdadia television. During his speech, the unpopular Bush declared “The war is not over… it is decisively on its way to being won” and that “There is still more work to be done” before the shoes were thrown. The act in Iraqi culture symbolizes disapproval, which is identified as a common attitude about the president felt around the world. The protestor was detained after the incident.
Bush’s Sunday trip was initially kept a secret, with White House officials releasing false details about plans for the president in Washington.