Iraqi Man Throws His Shoes at Bush

In a truly odd incident, an Iraqi man threw both of his shoes at the head of President Bush (video below) when the prez was in Baghdad holding a press conference with Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki. The Bush shoe thrower, whom some sources said was a journalist, also shouted in Arabic, "This is a farewell ... you dog!" Bush ducked both shoes, and the man was dragged off screaming.

It is considered an insult in Islam to throw a shoe at someone, or even to sit so that the sole of one's shoe faces another person. Bush made light of the shoe-throwing incident, saying "That was a size 10 shoe he threw at me, you may want to know."

Maybe journalists at Iraqi press conferences should be asked to remove their shoes, as U.S. airline passengers are forced to do before boarding planes?