Opinion: Iraqi who threw shoe at Bush gets 3 years in jail, leaves courtroom smiling

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In the United States, he will always be an asterisk to history, the guy who threw both his shoes at President Bush at a Dec. 14 press conference, a sign in Muslim countries of deep disrespect.

History buffs please note: The athletic Bush, with good reflexes, avoided both shots by ducking.

But Muntather Zaidi, a television reporter who has since become a folk hero in some quarters in Iraq, has never renounced the words he shouted at the president, ‘This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.’

And today, after a judge in Baghdad handed down a three-year sentence, the 30-year-old Zaidi -- whose brother said he was beaten in custody -- left the courthouse smiling and waving as supporters cheered him on, calling him a hero and shouting ‘Down with Bush.’

According to the Washington Post, lawyers for Zaidi say they think the sentence is too harsh and plan to appeal.

No comment yet from Crawford.

-- Johanna Neuman

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