President George W. Bush made another secret flight into Baghdad on December 14th to visit the troops and pay a farewell visit. During a press conference with Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki, a news reporter who evidently was upset, removed his shoe and threw it at the President. The President was quick to react and dodged the missile, so the same reporter removed his second shoe and threw it at the President, which also missed the mark. I, personally think the Secret Service detail showed great restraint in not shooting the reporter.



However, it got me to thinking about the emphasis that shoes plays in diplomacy. I recall the day that the U.S. troops helped the Iraqi people in tearing down the statue of Hussein shortly after the invasion commenced. The citizens rode the statue through the streets beating it with their shoes.



However, history repeats itself. As a kid, I remember seeing the pictures of another shoe being used as a diplomatic tool. On October 12, 1960, Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev of the U.S.S.R. was addressing the United Nations. He was infuriated by a statement which charged the Soviets to wanting to dominate Eastern Europe. Mr. Khrushchev pulled off his right shoe, brandishing it at the Philippine delegate and started banging his shoe on the podium and begin shouting at the delegate in Russian that he was a "jerk, a stooge, and a lackey of imperialism". Post reports are that the incident was staged and was planned in advance. I can't hardly believe that the Soviet Union, even the U.S.S.R., during the cold war would try to mislead the world. The words of a famous men come to my thoughts when thinking of the Soviet Union. "Trust, but Verify" by President Ronald Reagan.