The other day when George W. Bush finally had his protective bubble burst by a member of the Iraqi press who had clearly been pushed to the breaking point, I couldn't help but think of an episode of "The West Wing" where the fictional President Bartlett was asked why he would even consider hiring someone who had once written a letter to him which contained a veiled death threat directed at him. His response was more eloquent than I can accurately recreate here, but in a nutshell he replied that he respected the author because she had shown respect for the office of the Presidency, even while she had shown disdain for him personally.
And that's the problem I have with George W. Bush and she shoe thrower. While I personally think he's tied with James Buchanan for "Worst President In History" honors, there is yet no denying the fact that he does still hold the office of the Presidency and should therefore be treated with respect--at least by all Americans.
But the Iraqis are a different matter. The shoe thrower sounds like a fair representation of the average Iraqi after close to six years of American occupation of their country. He's suffered terribly during the Insurgency and was clearly pushed to the breaking point--but chose to show his anger and frustration in what was actually a relatively peaceful manner. After all, did anyone actually think GWB was in any sort of danger? And if so, does that mean all future press conferences must be held before a barefoot Press Corp?
I hope the Iraqi justice system deals with the shoe thrower with more compassion than the Bush justice system would likely have done. I feel a debt of gratitude to this lone shoe thrower for doing something that I, as an American citizen, could never bring myself to do. Like it or not, Bush still holds the office of the Presidency, and must therefore be treated with some measure of respect by all Americans. As for the rest of the world, well, the shoes are clearly now off.