McClatchy Iraqi Staffer Responds to Bush Shoe-Fly

By: E&P Staff In a new TV interview, President Bush called yesterday's shoe-tossing incident in Baghdad by an Iraqi journalist merely "weird" and "amusing," adding he doesn't feel "insulted." The "guy wanted to get on TV and he did. I don't know what his beef is," the president added.

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AP reports that protesters have taken to the streets in Baghdad -- demanding the journalist's release.

Also with a reaction: a longtime staffer named Laith at the always-valuable Baghdad bureau for McClatchy. Here is the full blog posting, also available at:
http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/iraq/2008/12/its-just-not-the-way-.html

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Like any event happens in Iraq, the incident of throwing shoes at the President Bush became the main topic of all the nation. When I arrived the office, the useless discussion was already started. Some of our guys started making jokes about the incident. I decided a long time ago not to get involved in any kind of political discussion with any of my colleagues because I know that every Iraqi believes he or she is completely right and the others should accept his or her point of view more like a verse of Quran that shouldn't be discussed. Yet, I was drawn into a discussion.

Most of the guys were happy and they were talking about the bravery of the journalist who threw his shoes at the American president. When I tried to explain my opinion, I was trying to tell the guys that I don't agree with the way the journalist behaved, but I was attacked by everyone. One of them said "come on Laith, Bush destroyed Iraq". Another said "he deserves more" while a third one said "he is an occupier." I tried to tell to tell they guys that this is an insult for Maliki.

As a journalist who believes that his job is to find truth and defend it, I can't blame the journalist for hating the U.S. president because I agree with all the Iraqis (not to politicians of course) that Bush's policy destroyed our country. But we can't just blame the Americans for everything. The majority of the Iraqi officials participated in one way or another in destroying this country, either by not fighting the administrations corruption or by neglecting their national duties. The last example was lawmakers who went to hajj (pilgrimage) while the discussion about the SOFA was at the top of the agenda. We can't blame the Americans for wasting and stealing our money in what is called the reconstruction projects.

I just wanted to say that the best action to the destruction made by Bush policy is not throw a shoe or to shout because this is an emotional reaction. The right reaction is to be loyal to Iraq and to build it, not to spend the time in tours in Europe and some neighboring countries that export death to Iraq.