Shoes thrown at Bush in Iraq on final (surprise) visit as President!

Thanks to setfree68 for the outtake with translated captions.

Exerpt By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven, Ap White House Correspondent Sun Dec 14, 5:37 pm ET

BAGHDAD On an Iraq trip shrouded in secrecy and marred by dissent, President George W. Bush on Sunday hailed progress in the war that defines his presidency and got a size-10 reminder of his unpopularity when a man hurled two shoes at him during a news conference.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" shouted the protester in Arabic, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

Bush ducked both shoes as they whizzed past his head and landed with a thud against the wall behind him.

"It was a size 10," Bush joked later.

The U.S. president visited the Iraqi capital just 37 days before he hands the war off to his successor, Barack Obama, who has pledged to end it. The president wanted to highlight a drop in violence in a nation still riven by ethnic strife and to celebrate a recent U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.

In many ways, the unannounced trip was a victory lap without a clear victory. Nearly 150,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq fighting a war that is intensely disliked across the globe. More than 4,209 members of the U.S. military have died in the conflict, which has cost U.S. taxpayers $576 billion since it began five years and nine months ago.

Polls show most Americans believe the U.S. erred in invading Iraq in 2003. Bush ordered the nation into war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq while citing intelligence claiming the Mideast nation harbored weapons of mass destruction. The weapons were never found, the intelligence was discredited, Bush's credibility with U.S. voters plummeted. Saddam was captured and executed.

Category:

News & Politics

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• obama
• Muntadar
• al-Zeidi

[trently309]

bush may not have been the greatest but hes was still the president and we elected him twice!!! i hope they got that guy!!!!!!!

[rickpasorti]

Look at the residual results to show for those 8 years with Alfred E. Bush at the helm. We collectively reached an overall new low in our 200 plus year history, with financial meltdown, congressional gridlock and mismanagement of two wars.

You are a clueless moron.

[oce479]

I am a conservative republican. But I am disappointing that more than 4,000 American soldiers went to their graves believing they were fighting for WMD. Bush must live with this regret like LBJ lived with the regret of Vietnam...until the day he dies.

[rickpasorti]

I doubt he loses any sleep.

He must be desensitized by now, always having accomplished little in spite of considerable privileged entitlements since his disgusting conception.

"The Decider" has destroyed many lives via his inept pathological ambitions.

Are regrets of any one man enough to balance the damage done, the burnt bodies, decimated hopes and dreams of so many here and around the world?

Such filth should be prosecuted for their deeds. That withstanding, they pillage & plunder selfishly

[insultman911]

i know right? if ur gonna throw shoes at a bad president, at least HIT THEM! what would be better. Throw and miss then get into trouble, or bomb a direct hit in the peanuts and get in trouble

[washmyclothes]

About time, it would of been better if Bush got hit!!!

[franzferdinand17]

Mannn, if i was there i wouldve beat the shit out of the guy who threw the shoes! Hahaha! Seriously bush is like a ninja!

[Duongfamily604]

Bush HACKs lol

[photofitrehelper]

Ninja!

[ababyyy01]

I WOULD RATHER HAVE GEORGE BUSH AS PRESIDENT OVER OBAMA ANY DAY!!!!

[byever1]

Too bad he missed. Twice.

[TK101Warhammer]

@oce479 You're too dumb. Sorry but it's true.

I'm middle eastern and I tell you those Marines fought for F.R.E.E.D.O.M O.F I.R.A.Q. And not necessarly for """WMD""". Get your facts straight before you sellout and back stab your country men.

[bhali67]

bush is world"s bad man i am fucking bush

[theninjachannel]

@trently309 bush sent americas troops to iraq under false pretences and killed thousands of iraqi children, women and men that guy probably lost his wife

[burtonrules123]

the only problem i have with bush is he opened the doorway for an EVEN WORSE president.....OBAMA. he makes bush look good!

[TheDarkNobleOne]

I like that, a president with quick reflexes that benefits

...if only he used that skill in his presidency.