Iraq Gives Bush His Statue

I've heard some right-wingers saying the Iraqis should build a statue to Bush for getting rid of Saddam and giving them "democracy". Well, it looks like Bush finally got his statue -- sort of. The statue pictured was recently unveiled in Tikrit (Saddam's hometown). It is a sofa-sized bronze-colored shoe sitting on a white ten foot base. The statue actually honors the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at Bush.

While the Iraqi government is trying to display its fealty to the United States government by jailing the journalist and beating him (he has had ribs and an arm broken) and charging him with a crime (he could get 15 years), the Iraqi people have hailed the journalist as a hero. They love that he stood up to Bush and told him what they would all love to say to Bush.

The statue stands in the garden of an Iraqi foundation that takes care of children whose parents were killed after the illegal American invasion. That seems to be a fitting place for the statue. When the journalist threw the shoes, he said, "This is from the widows, the orphans, and those who were killed in Iraq. This is a farewell kiss, you dog".

This is the closest thing to a statue honoring him that Bush is going to get from the Iraqis. To them, he didn't bring democracy. He brought the destruction of their country, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of their citizens and drove several million of their countrymen into exile. Instead of a savior, he turned out to be a pestilence.

The Iraqi people don't want us in their country. There is no reason for even more Americans to die in this useless occupation of Iraq. President Obama should withdraw all American troops immediately, and let the Iraqis set about the business of choosing their own form of government and healing their country.

It's the right thing to do.

No Appreciation For Bush In Iraq

When Bush lied to America and the world and invaded Iraq, I think he was so misguided that he really had visions of glory. He was sure he would be praised as a liberator, and probably even have streets and schools named after him in Iraq. But last weekend he found out exactly what the Iraqis really think of him -- and it's not good.

During a news conference in Baghdad, where Bush was once again trying to justify the disaster he'd created in Iraq, a journalist stood up and flung his shoes at the lame duck president. As he did it, the journalist yelled, "This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." In the Iraqi culture, the hurling of the shoes at Bush constituted a supreme insult.

The journalist was arrested and jailed, and some say he might be charged with insulting a foreign leader (which could carry a two-year sentence). Bush tried to pass it off as a solitary protest. He is wrong. The journalist was speaking for the majority of the Iraqi people, and I seriously doubt he will be punished -- the Iraqi government has enough problems without further irritating their populace.

On Monday, thousands of Iraqis took to the streets (pictured above) demanding the release of the journalist, Muntadhar al-Zeidi. Overnight, he has become a hero to the Iraqi people for standing up to Bush and publically shaming him. Bush is not viewed in Iraq as a liberator, but as a murderer and a torturer.

Personally, I applaud the actions of the Iraqi journalist. It's time Bush faced the truth.