Muntadar al-Zaidi Did What We Journalists Should Have Done Long Ago

When Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi heaved his two shoes at the head of President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, he did something that the White House press corps should have done years ago.

Al-Zaidi listened to Bush blather that the half-decade of war he had initiated with the illegal invasion of Iraq had been “necessary for US security, Iraqi stability (sic) and world peace” and something just snapped. The television correspondent, who had been kidnapped and held for a while last year by Shiite militants, pulled off a shoe and threw it at Bush—a serious insult in Iraqi culture—and shouted “This is a farewell kiss, you dog!” When the first shoe missed its target, he grabbed a second shoe and heaved it too, causing the president to duck a second time as al-Zaidi shouted, “This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq!”

I’ll admit, listening to Bush lie his way through eight years of press conferences, while pre-selected reporters played along and pretended to get his attention so they could ask questions which had been submitted and vetted in advance, I have felt like throwing my shoes at the television set.

Al-Zaidi, who paid for his courageous act of protest by being brutally beaten by security guards, is a hero of the profession. He stopped taking the president’s BS and called him what he is: a murderer and a criminal, with the blood of perhaps upwards of a million Iraqis on his hands. Al-Zaidi used what was supposed to be a staged photo-op for the president as an opportunity to speak up for those whose lives have been ruined by this president—the ones our suck-up journalists routinely ignore.

I’m not suggesting that journalists should routinely leave presidential press conferences in their stocking feet. We have different ways of expressing our sentiments to people we feel have insulted our intelligence than throwing shoes at them, but it would be nice to see a journalist or two flip the president the bird when he lies so blatantly to them. Or they could all get up and just walk out, leaving him standing alone at the presidential lectern.

It’s time for the press corps to stop treating presidents like royalty. If he accomplished anything at all in eight years in office, President Bush has demonstrated that, to the contrary, the president is a very ordinary—and in his case a rather less than ordinary—man. The office of president deserves no more respect than that of the mayor of Detroit, or of Wasilla.

My suggestion is that the press corps use the remaining five weeks of the Bush administration to develop a new relationship with the presidency—one in which they drop all the phony propriety and tradition and start acting like boisterous newshounds of old, barking questions, laughing cruelly at inane answers, demanding follow-ups when they are given the run-around, and, where necessary, walking out, or perhaps tossing the occasional shoe.

The journalism profession was a full-blown disaster and an utter disgrace during the Bush administration, and with all the crises facing the country and the world, in part because of that failure on their part, we cannot afford to have them continue that failure into the Obama administration.

With the Bush administration reduced to a running joke at this point, it gives the journalism profession a chance to redeem itself by using these few remaining weeks to establish a new tradition for presidential press conferences and photo-ops—one that can continue on into the new presidency.

Meanwhile, I’m suggesting that my alma mater, the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, hire al=Zaidi to teach a class in press conference journalism techniques. They should make it a multi-year appointment, because if he left after just one year, his would be difficult shoes to fill.
____________
NOTE: Speaking of shoes and the White House, Skip Mendler of Honesdale, PA has a great idea. He suggests that everyone who is disgusted with the outgoing Bush/Cheney administration send a shoe to the White House. Just imagine a pile up of a million smelly old running shoes in the White House mailroom! I think he's got something. Spread the word!

Comments

Please sign petition to free Montather Al-Zeidi

Submitted by Rich Gardner on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 3:42pm

Montather Al-Zeidi was beaten and is being held in JAIL because of his action! Please sign the petition at:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montather/

An excellent column as usual, Dave

Submitted by HansBennett on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 5:21pm

This act by Muntadar al-Zaidiwas great.

If only US reporters had shown such courage back in 2002/2003. But, hey, now they've got their chance to speak out and stop the escalation of war in Afghanistan. Given the corporate media's bloody history, I doubt we'll see that, but we can always hope, and continue pressure from our end.

What do you expect?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 8:36am

The last newsman to take a long, hard look at Bush Jr. in the national media, J.H. Hatfield, wound up dead. ( http://www.democracynow.org/2003/8/11/democracy_now_premieres_the_full_i... )

I love this guy.. He is a

Submitted by Naveed Zafar (not verified) on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 11:41am

I love this guy.. He is a true hero .. I am his servent

This is another update

Submitted by HansBennett on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 1:42pm

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/12/16/zaidi-torture/

Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist ‘beaten in custody.’»

Muntader al-Zaidi, the now-infamous shoe-hurling Iraqi journalist, has reportedly been “beaten in custody,” according to the BBC. Al-Zaidi’s brother reports that the journalist is suffering from a broken hand, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. Yesterday, TV al-Sharqiya in Iraq reported that the al-Zaidi had “signs of tortures on his thighs.” Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqis have taken to streets on Tuesday for second day to demand al-Zaidi’s release.

Thumbs up Dave

Submitted by Fraz Wahlah (not verified) on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 1:51pm

Thats the sort of journalism we the ordinary people look for. Keep the good work up.

yea hes a hero!! God bless him..!

Submitted by Fraz Wahlah (not verified) on Tue, 12/16/2008 - 2:01pm

And if Bush had some respect, he would have asked for the man to be released unhurt, and made an apology to the Iraqi people for what he did to them.

http://www.ipetitions.com/pet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/17/2008 - 9:13am

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montather/
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/424/signUp.jsp?key=3909

From http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/
article5346089.ece:
"...An Iraqi lawyer said that al-Zaidi risked a miminum of two years
in prison if he is prosecuted for insulting a visiting head of state,
but could face a 15-year term if he is charged with attempted
murder...."

Also, protest in DC:
WHAT: Peace activists to gather with shoes in solidarity to Iraqi
journalist
WHEN: 11 a.m., Weds. Dec. 17
WHERE: In front of White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

On a lighter note --there is apparently a new video game out based on the incident http://www.sockandawe.com/

also here's a commentary from http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Montather Al-Zeidi in hospital
The international herald tribune reports that Montather Al-Zaidi is
"in hospital with broken arm".

None of the journalist or human rights or organizations have said a
word so far. Please contact the following organizations and urge them
to issue a statement concerning the brutal treatment and imprisonment
of the Iraqi Journalist Montather Al-Zeidi.

Journalists without boarders, human right watch, human rights first,
Amnesty international, and other organizations of you know of.

.........

Monday, December 15, 2008
Montather's hand broken in jail
Albaghdadia, the TV channel where the Iraqi Journalist Montather Al-
Zeidi works, reports that an Iraqi MP (Ms. Zainab Al-Kanani) informed
them that Montather's hand was broken in jail.

This confirms a lot of reports and rumors about Montather being
subject to torture while the Iraqi authorities are interrogating and
detaining him in some unspecified location.

.........

Bush's Iraq assailant has broken arm, ribs: brother

BAGHDAD (AFP) — The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US
President George W. Bush has a broken arm and ribs after being struck
by Iraqi security agents, his brother told AFP on Tuesday.

Durgham Zaidi was unable to say whether his brother Muntazer had
sustained the injuries while being overpowered during Sunday's
protest against Bush's visit or while in custody later.

He said he had been told that his brother was being held by Iraqi
forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central
Baghdad where the US embassy and most government offices are housed.

"He has got a broken arm and ribs, and cuts to his eye and arm," said
Durgham.

"He is being held by forces under the command of Muaffaq al-Rubaie,"
Iraq's national security adviser, he added.

Zaidi, 29, a journalist for the private Iraqi television channel Al-
Baghdadia, was swiftly overpowered by Iraqi security forces after he
threw the shoes at Bush in a gesture seen as the supreme mark of
disrespect in the Muslim world.

An AFP journalist said that cuts were visible on his face as he was
led away into custody.

Bush, who was on a swansong visit to the battleground that came to
dominate his eight-year presidency, ducked when the shoes were thrown
and later made light of the incident.

Occam's Razor

Submitted by Rich Gardner on Wed, 12/17/2008 - 9:48am

Some conservatives
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20081216_Letters_to_the_Editor.ht...
wondered why it was that progressives were so certain that al-Zaidi did what he did because he was angry at Bush and not because of his background as a supporter of Saddam Hussein. The answer is "Occam's Razor." The simplest answer is probably the correct one. Al-Zaidi observed what my French buddy calls "A cree-mee-nal" carrying on about what a glorious and marvelous success story Iraq is and the guy just snapped.
How do we know that for al-Zaidi to throw his shoes at Bush was a popular act? Well,
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20081217_Shoe-thrower_in_court_t...
says: "Despite widespread sympathy for his act in the region, Iraqi authorities..." In other words, we aren't just looking at just his act, we're looking at how ordinary Iraqis view his act and hey, guess what? They approve.

Yep now 15 years in an Iraq prison

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 11:04am

Why don't you all go join him and enjoy his reward for being so progressive. LOL, 15 years in a shit hole.

new article

Submitted by HansBennett on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 4:04pm

http://www.truthout.org/121808A

Check out this new one, with an excert below here:

As with any event that pushes history forward, when you click the play button over and over to watch Muntanzer al-Zaidi mumble something in Arabic that we now know meant "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!," the question inevitably arises - Why hasn't this happened before? Watch al-Zaidi rise from the back of the room. See the glimmer of recognition in Bush's eyes and the animal instinct take over as he avoids the shoes coming at his head. The incident is like a deep whiff of smelling salts, causing the degradations of the past five years to flood back. Remember when the antiwar movement puttered to a halt after Bush declared Mission accomplished? How easily we were fooled into complacency......

Good piece

Submitted by Rich Gardner on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 10:58pm

Have to say I was especially offended by Bush's statement right before al-Zaidi tossed his shoes: "The American people have sacrificed a great deal to reach this moment. The battle in Iraq has required a great amount of time and resources" [emphasis added]
The Iraq War is a colonial conflict, a war (not a battle) that's intended to deprive Iraqis of the oil that belongs to them. There is no larger "war" for it to fit into. The fight against al Qaeda is another problem entirely.

I have to agree with your

Submitted by blower motor parts (not verified) on Wed, 02/25/2009 - 11:00pm

I have to agree with your opinion on this matter. We should indeed not deprive the Iraqis of the oil that belongs to them in the first place. There are still other alternatives out there like hybrid, electric and other eco-friendly cars. That way we won't have to rely on their oil that much.

but for America, for Congress

Submitted by jackson jersey (not verified) on Mon, 05/24/2010 - 3:11am

Iraq War does not necessary for US security, Iraqi stability (sic) and world peace, but for America, for Congress.

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