Dan

Calabrese

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December 16, 2008

Shoe-Thrower Earns ‘Signature Event’ Status from Bush-Hating Associated Press

What would have happened during the reign of Saddam Hussein if an Iraqi “journalist” (not that such a thing existed at the time) had stood up during a presidential press conference and thrown a shoe at the podium?

Let’s see. The offender might have been simply taken out and shot, but you can’t write off the possibility of Saddam’s sadistic sons sticking the guy’s head in boiling acid to make the point a little more forcefully.

None of this applies today, because Iraq was liberated by George W. Bush. So when the very same George W. Bush finds himself the target of flying shoes during a joint Baghdad press conference with Iraq’s president (who was freely elected via the democratic process thanks to George W. Bush), the nimble Bush merely grins and explains how this sort of thing happens in free societies.

But torture still occurs. It’s just that it now takes the form of atrocious journalism by the Associated Press’s Jennifer Loven, whose stories have been peppered for years with snarky anti-Bush “analysis” – perhaps derived during pillow talk with her husband, environmental activist and former Clinton Administration official Roger Ballentine.

In a story headlined “Bush’s Iraq-Afghan farewell tour marred by dissent,” Ms. Loven misinforms us:

President George W. Bush wrapped up a whirlwind trip to two war zones Monday that in many ways was a victory lap without a clear victory. A signature event occurred when an Iraqi reporter hurled two shoes at Bush, an incident the president later described as “a bizarre moment.”

Note the lovely use of scare quotes, which are used to let you know that the writer doesn’t think the words being used are legitimate or accurate. Apparently to Ms. Loven, described by the AP as a “journalist,” there is nothing bizarre about a guy throwing his shoes at the president of the United States. Indeed, Ms. Loven declares it a “signature event” (I give that scare quotes, she doesn’t), and she helpfully explains why this is not only within the realm of reasonable behavior, but quite possibly out-and-out justified.

But the president's message on progress in the region was having trouble competing with the videotaped image of the angry Iraqi who hurled his shoes at Bush in a near-miss, shouting in Arabic, "This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" The reporter was later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. Marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion . . .

Reaction in Iraq was swift but mixed, with some condemning the act and others applauding it. Television news stations throughout Iraq repeatedly showed footage of the incident, and newspapers carried headline stories.

In Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protests against President Bush and demanded the release of the reporter, who was jailed after throwing his shoes. Thousands took to the streets Monday, chanting, "Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head."

This is why Bush’s approval rating is completely meaningless. Most Americans don’t have the slightest idea what he has actually done as president because they get their news from “journalists” like Jennifer Loven who work for “news sources” like the AP.

Insurgents and terrorists are routed, and Iraq’s democratic institutions are growing stronger by the day, but the AP tells us there is “no clear victory.” An historic status-of-forces agreement is embraced by all sides, but according to the AP, the “signature event” is some chucklehead throwing his shoes.

One of the worst things about the economic demise of newspapers is the fact that, with newsroom budget cuts, so many papers will now be forced to fill an ever-growing portion of their news holes with copy from the AP. You can almost see the intelligence escaping the brains of average Americans with every word of “reporting” they read.

As for the shoe-thrower, Mr. al-Zeidi, we have yet to hear whether Al-Baghdadia plans to continue his employment, but he shouldn’t worry. It’s only a matter of time before the AP is hiring.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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