If the Shoe Fits

Welcome to my hanging

--President Bush, at the unveiling of his portrait

I don't say he's a great man

--Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller

___________

Another documented case of friendly fire.

He’s no Tim Reid, but journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi who launched his shoes at George Bush recently in Iraq gave the lie to warm Iraqi feelings (Many Hail Journalist Who Threw Shoes at Bush.)

This undeniable disdain of a large contingent of the population is also the reason Bush forms large cordons of protest zones around his appearances stateside. Protesters are so far off camera here one might not know they exist. That a thrown shoe could actually land on the dais shows there is hope for democracy in Iraq yet.

In his recent interview with the National Review, President Bush defined compassionate conservatism as meaning that its followers would be prosperous, demonstrating his conflation of Nouveau-Christian ideology with a political philosophy supposedly centered around faith-based initiatives aimed at achieving a level of comfort for those less fortunate ("It's saying to the average person, this philosophy will help you make your life better.") Mr. Bush apparently decided to combine and consolidate, an expedient move for a bear of little brains.

However, if Bush actually adhered to his born-again principles, he might have picked up the shoes and returned them to its owner. That would have been a gesture that would have headed papers around the world, and left a far better legacy than he shall get.

If nothing else, Muntadhar al-Zeidi is a shoe-in for a happy sidebar in future Iraqi history texts. Unconfirmed rumors have it that the next Bush Scotty will be named Tyke.