On Sunday, President Bush ducked two shoes hurled toward him in Baghdad. But he never ducked his responsibilities in Iraq.A great deal of justified criticism can be leveled at the Bush administration, but to his great - and enduring - credit, our president didn't quit as mistakes made by his subordinates mounted and the prognosis in Iraq turned dire.
And the "shoe incident" shows how the results vindicated his stubbornness...
Want more of this Ralph Peters' article? You should!
It's right here at the New York Post.
By the way, for a few glimpses into just how shameful has been the reaction of the Arab world to this disrespect to the U.S. President, give your attention to this report (a bit slanted yet still revealing) from the International Herald Tribune.
...In Syria, he was hailed as a hero. In Libya, he was given an award for courage.
Throughout much of the Arab world Monday, the shoe-throwing incident generated front-page headlines and continuing television news coverage. A thinly veiled glee could be discerned in much of the reporting, especially in the places where anti-American sentiment runs deepest...
The incident has been a source of embarrassment for the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who, in a statement Monday, called the shoe throwing a "a shameful savage act" and demanded a public apology from Al Baghdadia, the independent satellite channel that employs Zaidi. "The act damaged the reputation of the Iraqi journalists and journalism in general," the statement said.
As of Monday night, no apology from the station was forthcoming. Instead, the network posted an image of Zaidi in the corner of the screen for much of the day. Telephone callers were invited to phone in their opinions, and the vast majority said they approved of his actions...
