Damn. Nice reflexes.

[apocalypsos]

Comments

[irishblessing.livejournal.com]

Well.. that was..bizzare. O.o

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Apparently it's a big insult in Iraq to throw shoes at someone -- they threw a lot of them when that big statue of Saddam was torn down.

[svmadelyn.livejournal.com]

As someone else just posted: With a side of THIS -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D5oKEVqQJg

[marag.livejournal.com]

Dude. It took the Secret Service that long to react? What? Did they leave the mailroom attendants to watch Bush while they sent all the real agents to Obama and Biden?

I mean, I hate Bush, but it would kinda suck if someone killed him.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I know, right? Shouldn't their reaction time be a LITTLE better? Just a tad?

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

I just love how BLASE everyone is about it. Even Bush! The guy throws a shoe, and then another, and then gets up and starts walking SLOWLY AWAY down the aisle and everyone is all "whatevs!"

AHAHAHAHA.

[marag.livejournal.com]

Just a tad. He may be a lame duck president and a general lame duck, but it's kind of their job to keep people from throwing things at him. ::shakes head::

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

ARE there even Secret Service guys there? Because, sheesh, it looks like the guy's only being subdued by other journalists.

*eyeroll* I don't like the guy, but come on.

[marag.livejournal.com]

I cannot imagine a circumstance in which the Secret Service would think it was a good idea to leave the POTUS in a room full of Iraqis without protection.

OTOH, I agree that it looks like there's nobody but other journalists. I have a suspicion someone is getting their ass kicked from here to Timbuktu right about now. Firings would not be out of the question.

What do you expect?

[seferin.livejournal.com]

He's right behind Jesus and Mohammad on the list of people hated by the world. Even money says he'll overtake one of the other two before he leaves office.

With that kind of reputation, even if you didn't have those reflexes to start with, you tend to develop them PFQ.

Re: What do you expect?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I think most of my surprise lies in that it was shoes and not bullets. I'm still surprised nobody's attempted an assassination. (I certainly don't want the man dead, but I can't imagine there aren't others who might.)

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

I could watch this ALL DAY.

[conuly]

Who throws a shoe? Honestly!

Its Iraq.

[seferin.livejournal.com]

They've had several years to improve their security, especially the sneaking weapons in part. Steep learning curve in the Middle East.

[fakymcfakerson.livejournal.com]

You gotta admit though- that was a pretty sweet duck.

Re: What do you expect?

[conuly]

Maybe people are too sensible for an assassination. However much good it would've done to get him out of office quicker would have been overshadowed by the harm done by "Well, we have assassins now, time to take away your last civil rights!", you know?

[marag.livejournal.com]

Well, I never said the Shrub didn't know how to duck when things are thrown at him...like accusations ;)

Re: What do you expect?

[norabombay.livejournal.com]

Don't forget the 'assassinate Bush, welcome President Cheney" factor.

I suspect that some people are getting fired. And some other people are about to have a very unpleasnt time in jail.

Re: What do you expect?

[conuly]

Yes, well, no sense doing things half-assed. After that is Nancy Pelosi, though, really, at that point I might as well just kill everybody and step up myself.

...

_{Not that I'd ever do that, of course.}

[lavenderfrost.livejournal.com]

Shoes are considered unclean, yeah. It's traditional to not wear them in Muslim households here in the US and elsewhere in the world.

Feet in general are considered dirty, really. Since you walk on them and all. Muslims are supposed to wash them before each of their daily prayers, along with their face/neck and hands/arms/elbows.

*learned all kinds of neat stuff like this after her mother converted to Islam, wheeee!*

Re: What do you expect?

[anne-jumps.livejournal.com]

It's the Cheney factor.

[lavenderfrost.livejournal.com]

Edit - it's traditional not to wear them INSIDE THE HOUSE in Muslim households. Yeah. *headdesk*

[trinity_clare]

If you watch the whole video, about 8 Secret Service guys pour out of the door behind Bush right after this, so. *shrug*

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Oh, what impeccable timing. *headsmack*

[ladynaberrie.livejournal.com]

I could watch that all day.

[ladynaberrie.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[exsequar.livejournal.com]

One month in his presidency and we finally discover something he's good at. Ducking.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Well, SOMEbody just got on the Secret Service's "naughty" list!

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

Two things...long arc of travel. And SLOW Secret Service. I mean SLOW. He should never have gotten the second shoe going -- indeed, should never have gotten the first one off.

This does not say good things about Bush's security detail's attitude towards the ol' President-Defect.

[ficangel.livejournal.com]

I want to say that he had to be expecting something like that to happen.

[jim-smith.livejournal.com]

Damn. Nice reflexes.

I have the sense that he gets a lot of practice at this sort of thing.

[timba.livejournal.com]

Heck, man. Just SHOWING someone the bottom of your feet while you're sitting is rude.

I'm guessing the Arabic Peninsula is low on the foot fetishists.

[calger459.livejournal.com]

AHAHA that is amazing. Go reporter, go woo! I wonder what Bush said to set him off.

[squee1123.livejournal.com]

wow, what did Bush say to set that journalist off?

Re: What do you expect?

[kdorian.livejournal.com]

I suspect that those who want him dead are being held back by those who have no desire to see him being made into a martyr.

[lavenderfrost.livejournal.com]

Hell - I bet Foot Fetishism is HUGE there. All that Eww-Foot-Gross repression stigma they attach to sex??

That's like, fetish BREEDING GROUND, man.

[faith21.livejournal.com]

Something that I have wanted to do for the past 8 years.

[ephemerall.livejournal.com]

THAT IS THE BEST THING EVER. you made my night.

[yueni]

Better late than never!

[bluesteelstars.livejournal.com]

Oooooh SNAP!

[tigress35.livejournal.com]

My thoughts go two ways:

1) Wow, of all the things he's done that I'm impressed at by the end of 8 years, it had to be ducking a shoe. *sigh*

2) Methinks he's put in a lot of practice at avoiding things thrown at him, in case the situation should arise. See first part of 1, hee.

[roseblight.livejournal.com]

This exactly.

[lothlorienbaby.livejournal.com]

I still think it would have been funnier if one of them had actually hit him. I know he's downplaying it and the Iraqi government is saying that it's not indicative of the beliefs of Iraqis in general, but I think this really does sum up how many many people feel about him: we don't want to kill him, but we'd like to throw something at him.

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

(He's only had 8+ years of practice, after all?)

[ladyfox7oaks.livejournal.com]

Actually- he gets pulled down by somebody grabbing the back of his shirt or pants or something, and YANKED down.
Still funny, though!

[idealistagain.livejournal.com]

Reflexes my ass. I suspect the whole thing was staged.