'Modesto Bee' Reporter Eyewitness To Shoes Tossed at Bush

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher: 'Modesto Bee' Reporter Eyewitness To Shoes Tossed at Bush
By E&P Staff
December 14, 2008

NEW YORK Adam Ashton of the Modesto (California) Bee was right there...when an angry journalist tossed not one but two shoes at President Bush at a Baghdad press conference. He posted his account and background at a blog today. Here is an excerpt. It's all at: http://thehive.modbee.com/?q=node/11297

*

First I saw President Bush duck to avoid a fast-moving black object – a shoe. Then I realized one of the reporters behind me was shouting and, in a way, reloading, with a second shoe. Off it went, just as fast as the first. I couldn't believe he had time to get a second one off. A dog pile emerged on my left with Iraqis in blue suits wrestling with the shoe-hurler, Iraqi journalist Muntathar al Zaidi. Zaidi was moaning and moaning. He kept fighting and moaning while the Iraqis in the suits hauled him out of the room, and even then we could still hear him....

That's the snapshot. Let me walk you through what brought me there....

We made our way to the prime minister's house, getting searched as we entered his compound, searched as we walked into a holding room before going into the house and then searched again before going in the gate. We saw American soldiers, but no Secret Service. The Secret Service showed up and we got searched again. And then we waited. We waited for about two hours in the conference room. At this point, I was the only American reporter in the room....

Prime Minister Maliki and President Bush arrived with a red-carpet photo spray. The White House press corps followed. We swapped information and waited another half hour.

Out comes Maliki and Bush. Maliki praises Bush for sticking with Iraq for all this time. Bush returns the favor, praising Maliki. Then Bush gives an overview of the war, acknowledging the sacrifices made by Americans and Iraqis to bring Iraq to the relative stability it enjoys now. "Schukran," he says, indicating the close of his prepared speech with the Arabic word for "thank you." Hands leap, especially among the Iraqi press who have never had a chance to ask a question to the American president who shaped their lives for the past five years.

That's when the shoes started flying. "This is a kiss of goodbye, you dog," Zaidi shouted....

***

Many of the broadcast reporters feared the Iraqi government would take their cameras and tapes. They expect that things will be tougher for them next time they cover one of Maliki's events. "This will have consequences for us," one reporter told us. That's a shame. All the Iraqi reporters in the front row apologized to Bush. It was a reporter who yanked Zaidi to the ground before Iraqi or American guards could reach him.

Interestingly, the Iraqi press came in by bus but had to walk out in the cold night....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003922606

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I wish we could get some valid information on the condition of

Muntathar al Zaidi.