Shoe-Thrower Catches a Break
Muntadhar al-Zaidi became an instant hero to many when he flung his shoes at George W. Bush, but he was soon sentenced to three years in prison. That penalty has now been commuted to one year, including time served. It still seems a bit steep, considering that he didn't even make contact and Bush himself dismissed the incident as democracy in action.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi became an instant hero to many when he flung his shoes at George W. Bush, but he was soon sentenced to three years in prison. That penalty has now been commuted to one year, including time served. It still seems a bit steep, considering that he didn’t even make contact and Bush himself dismissed the incident as democracy in action.
Rock Solid JournalismCNN:
Iraq’s Central Criminal Court sentenced al-Zaidi to three years in March after he was found guilty of assaulting a foreign head of state on an official visit to Iraq. It was Bush’s last visit to Baghdad before leaving office in January.
Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar, spokesman for Iraq’s Higher Judicial Council, said the court reduced al-Zaidi’s sentence because he is young and had no previous criminal record.
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The president may not want war with Iran, but he does want to push the regime into submission and tout U.S. military dominance to his base.
Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqi anti-government protesters call on both Iran and America to leave the country.
There's no justification for Qassem Soleimani's assassination, and if we avoid another war in the Middle East, we'll have Tehran to thank.
As a candidate in 2016, he praised war crimes and expressed a desire to commit some of his own. No one can claim surprise or betrayal now.
However Iran chooses to respond to the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, America's influence in the region is guaranteed to deteriorate.
Rocket falls near U.S. Embassy in Iraq hours after funeral for Qassem Soleimani at which crowd chants "Death to America, death to Israel."
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