Condoleeza Rice recently said the following:
The shoe incident Sunday in Baghdad "is a kind of sign of the freedom that people feel in Iraq,"
And the Decider himself had this to say about the shoe throwing incident:
"That's what happens in free societies when people try to draw attention to themselves," he said.
Yes, "freedom".
Like the freedom for al-Zaidi to be tortured over the past couple of days. Or the freedom to have covered and witnessed the US bombing of Sadr City, or the freedom for al-Zaidi to have been kidnapped and held for three days by Shiite militia.
With Bush and his criminal administration trying to rewrite history as they leave office, it is very easy to breathe a sigh of relief that the adults are now in charge, or for many people to want Obama to turn the page and focus on the immense challenges left for him – both domestically and overseas. And since the death and destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan have all but been scrubbed from the corporate news, it is increasingly difficult for most Americans to get their arms around the complete and utter destruction that was caused by Bush – destruction that is still ongoing.
This incident may have temporarily woken people here in the US up to what has been going on every day in Iraq. The bombings that have picked up over recent weeks have killed dozens and injured hundreds, including a recent one that targeted an Iraqi Minister. There has been a systematic persecution of Christians in Iraq that the Bush administration is also ignoring.
Families have to wonder if a simple trip to the market will end in loss of life or limb. Mothers have woken up every day wondering if their children will get incurable diseases from contaminated drinking water – or whether their schools will be bombed. Wedding parties have been bombed. Fathers and husbands have been kidnapped. Entire cities have experienced ethnic and sectarian cleansing. People are kicked out of their homes by militia. Families have fled their homes and country for fear of safety and lack of work or money. Illegal chemical weapons have leveled cities and caused cancer, disfigurement or other diseases to innocent children. Torture still exists, as do suicide bombings, kidnappings and mass graves.
Every day for the past six years.
That is the legacy of "freedom" that the Bush administration has brought to Iraq. This is what al-Zaidi had to live through and report on in order to make a living. This is what has been done in our names. While people may applaud al-Zaidi or may plead for his release or leniency or even demand a public forgiveness by Bush – he is being tortured for his actions and will likely be killed one way or another.
This should never be forgotten – even though the news only comes up in the context of one or two isolated events (and even then, there is more focus on the black eye that Dana Perino got). This is what "freedom" is to Iraqis.
Death. Destruction. Bombings. Kidnapping. Fear. Disease. Despair.
Sign me up – why don’t more people appreciate this "freedom"?