In 1901, President William McKinley was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo when an anarchist stepped forward and shot him, a mortal wound. As the crowd fell upon the assassin, McKinley said, "Don't hurt him."
Everyone has had a chance to see the shoe-throwing incident by now. This is the pathetic coda of a failed presidency, akin to the Jimmy Carter "killer rabbit." Yet the problem with the way many get "news" is that few will reflect on what the incident means. President Bush seemed clueless and callous as to why the Iraqi journalist might represent the rage of so many of his countrymen against America's actions in the country.
The journalist is now behind bars, perhaps already having been beaten and tortured, and he may face years in prison. He is also a hero in the Arab world. The shrewdest thing for Bush to do would be to demand his release. And I thought Bush was a Christian — or at least that's how he manipulated the electorate.
An alarming breach of journalistic ethics, but a passionate jesture on his part. I suspect he will be released after the inauguration – the Iraqi government doesn’t like Bush either.