In Iraq, throwing your shoe at someone is one of the worst insults you can possibly hurl. Of course, I didn’t know this prior to Bush having not one but two shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist, but I probably could have guessed as much. Taking the time to untie your shoe, pull it off of your foot and actually throw it at someone from across a room would, I would assume, be a pretty major insult in any culture. I’ve never thrown a shoe at anyone, but I can imagine I’d have to be pretty pissed for it come to that. They’re your shoes, you need them for your feet. Especially if the person you threw them at was the President of the United States of America, and you’d need them to help you run away, cuz people might be chasing you.

I guess this is only fitting though. Bush is one of the most reviled Presidents in recent history, not just in the USA, but worldwide, especially Iraq. This stop was part of Bush’s so-called “farewell tour.” Most bands, when they’re on a farewell tour, get requests yelled at them. I get the distinct feeling that no one is screaming out for “Mission Accomplished” or “The United States Does Not Torture” at this point. Most of them, like this disgruntled journo, would rather just huck a size 10 Nike at Bush’s head.

This is Bush’s own fault. That our country’s standing in the world has fallen so much that the man in place as defacto “leader of the free world” could have something like this happen to him. While I giggle at the idea of Bush ducking two violently flung shoes, I weep for the place our country has come to. Then I giggle again.