Just for those who don’t understand why an Iraqi journalist would throw shoes in protest of US President George W. Bush’s last visit to Iraq yesterday (video), here’s a short explanation:

Shoes are worn on your feet, they are low and they gather the most dirt from the ground. Being hit with shoes is like being admonished or denounced as the “lowest of the low” and is commonly reserved as a punishment for despicable criminals. It is worse than a pie in the face or any other common Western protest insult. My dad who was raised in Indian culture and is not too fond of Mr. Bush, watched the clip of shoes being thrown at him at least four times today and laughed out loud every time. The bottom of one’s shoes has dirt and the person receiving the shoe is considered low and dirty in their conduct.

Some funny comments from the blogosphere:

“lol yeah he was like “BY GOLLY! A man just hurled his footwear at me! This is a matter most peculiar! But why? Why would someone do such a thing? What might his cause be? I don’t know. I am just as baffled as you are, Madam Reporter! What’s that you say? He’s screaming about dogs, widows and children? MY GOD! This man is on crack! Away with him to the dungeons.”
MuslimMatters.org

“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” – Sigmund Freud. Likewise, sometimes a shoe is just a shoe. Don’t overanalyse it, the guy didn’t like Dubya, or what he was saying, and threw what came to hand first. (the secret service will, as a result of this, insist that everyone remove their shoes before being allowed to attend a press conference. (we’ve seen this absurdity at airports already)”
Crikey.com