Obviously, this is a weekend for me to have footwear on the mind, since I am still gloating about my new boots. Therefore, my thoughts have turned to other, somewhat less well shod folks in this world, who not only don't have new boots, but have been throwing around what footwear they do have in the interests of advancing their own personal agendas. Which seems pretty counter-productive to me. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Recently, our current President, George Bush, made a surprise visit to Baghdad, Iraq, and Afghanistan to visit the troops a final time before leaving office. The trip itself wasn't all that newsworthy - outgoing Presidents typically make these kinds of visits to the troops as they prepare to leave office.
Just for the record, I think it's the right thing to do. It's a way for the President to personally thank those people whom he has put into harm's way for making the sacrifice, a sort of rousing farewell so they know their efforts have been appreciated, and not taken for granted. It's a common action for leaders to visit and rally the troops that are fighting at their behest, and on their behalf, and it's a very effective motivator, as well as a nice personal gesture.
I am certain that seeing the President on their field of battle is a way to feel solidarity with the folks at home, who are largely unaware, even in the age of the 24/7 news cycle, of exactly what those sacrifices consist. So, in short, I'm for him making the trip, I think it was the right thing to do. And, in addition, I have respect for him that would be willing to go into one of the most dangerous places in the world, where there is without question a price on his head, in order to bring his message to the troops personally.
But this trip was a little different. I've often read that the journalism world is a jungle, but you don't expect it to be genuinely dangerous, a threat to someone's physical safety. At most, you occasionally wonder about the safety of the reporters themselves, as they cover the news from some of the most dangerous locations on earth. [The recent death rate of reporters in war zones is truly appalling, as they have become easy targets for whatever wacko fringe group want to make an easy hit.] But in a press conference, the only barbed objects that one should fear are the sharp comments being made by skeptical reporters who don't quite buy what is being sold at the podium.
Which brings us back to this brief surprise visit to the war zone, where we find George Bush standing at the podium at a news conference on a sunny Baghdad afternoon, answering questions about the war to an audience of mostly Middle Eastern reporters.
Now, let me just say, I am a firm believer that our President, whether I support him politically or not, is our international representative, sort of an everyman American, speaking and acting on our behalf when he is making state visits abroad. As such, we have a right to demand that the respect due his office be shown, wherever he may be in the world. Apparently, however, not everyone agrees with me. And I take umbrage.
On this occasion, a reporter, it's unclear to me where, exactly, he is from, although he works for an Egyptian news agency (ya, THAT Egypt, the one that is theoretically sort of our ally,) actually threw both his shoes and a series of verbal assaults at our president, a sign of intense disrespect in an area of the world not exactly known for reasonable behavior, anyway.
I have to give George credit, really. He showed an interesting ability to dodge the verbal (and footwear) bullet. I was impressed by his ability to see it coming and avoid being hit by the unexpected shoe assault. You have to wonder if he spent time on the field while he owned the Rangers, because he looked just like a kid taking batting practice eying up the ball.
I was also impressed at his ability to remain gracious and keep the situation light hearted and not take himself too seriously. It was, in my opinion, a presidential moment, in which he represented both himself, and our nation, in the best possible light. It could have been a critical international incident.
Instead, it was a humorous sound bite, because he was able to take himself out of it for a moment and see it for what it was - a moment of protest against a policy that someone disagreed with. I think part of the appeal of George Bush is exactly that, in fact - he never has appeared to take himself too seriously. That's an attractive quality in the most important leader on the face of the earth, I think.
But that is where the story goes seriously awry, in my opinion. The President himself was spot on in words and deeds, and I am proud of him for how he responded. But there is a dark side to this story, one that needs to be examined and dissected, so that it never happens again.
The errant reporter was quickly subdued, thanks not to the US Secret Service, a group of people paid very well by you and me, the taxpayers, to protect the President of the United States even at the cost of their own lives. In this case, the thanks goes to another reporter, who slammed this guy to the ground and waited for the Secret Service to pile on, acting like they had done something when, in fact, they did nothing at all.
I don't know about anyone else, but I have to say, I am not exactly impressed with the Secret Service in the situation. Things happen, and I suppose I can see how it's possible to get off one shoe and throw it without attracting attention beforehand. You can't really anticipate someone taking off their own footwear and throwing it, especially in the circumstance.
Objectively considered, from the reporter's perspective, he didn't really have much in the way of weapons at hand, so his shoes probably seemed like the best choice, despite the obvious reality that he was never going to get away from there unscathed. The fact that he wasn't wearing his shoe was going to come up on the way out, seeing as how a shoe got thrown, so it's assumed he knew he was going to be apprehended and beaten to a pulp. It's still Iraq, after all.
Although, come to think of it, I am forced to observe that Muslim adherents seem to have a fondness for footwear as weapons recently, an interesting trend that I find noteworthy, and apparently, so should the Secret Service. Perhaps footwear should always be as suspect in press conferences as it seems to be for the regular citizens at the airport. Still, all in all, I can't really blame anyone for not stopping the first shoe assault. But I am appalled that the reporter was able to throw both of them.
If this is an example of Secret Service protection, for which the American public is paying a premium price, it is inadequate, to say the least. If I were Laura, I wouldn't be letting George out of the White House again until he was out of office. And if I were Michelle, I'd be a nervous wreck. Four years of that kind of worry and you would have to pack me off to the rubber room for sure. (I will admit, I have one foot in the door at all times anyway. But that would put me right over the edge.) Given the lunatic fringes that exist right here in our own country, you would think the Secret Service would have been prepared for anything, and instead, it seems they were caught, dare I say it? flat footed.
I understand they were in a foreign country. I understand that you have to give latitude to that country and their own police force. But this is not just another tourist hitting the beach in Cancun. This is the President of the United States, and he was visiting the country whose cause you can fairly say he has championed non-stop since entering office. Say what you will about him, he has been consistent on Iraq, and his belief that this is a just war, and that we have freed them from tyranny.
So I think it's fair to ask, where were the Secret Service? Where were his police and military protection? What were they thinking in not keeping a sharp eye on every single person in that crowd? While they were all accredited journalists, and the weapon of choice was a shoe instead of a gun, for which we can all be eternally grateful, this is an incident which should never have occurred. We cannot screen for every eventuality, and it could have been a bomb hidden in his shoe instead of just a shoe. It is clear that in that part of the world, life has a different value, and the value of martyrdom is far higher than the value of remaining on this earth to many people.
Human aspects aside, I shudder to think what would have happened had something catastrophic occurred, and President Bush have been severely injured, or God forbid, assassinated over there. Our country is already in crisis. That would probably throw us over the edge. We do not need that interruption in the national process of transferring power from one president to the next. While I am, obviously, glad for his family and personal friends that he is okay, I am glad for us as a country as well, because I think we are too fragile, too strung out, too vulnerable, to risk something that damaging happening right now.
Benjamin Franklin told the cautionary tale from history about how for wont of a horseshoe nail the kingdom was lost. While the origins of that little proverb are likely found in the story of Richard the Third and Henry VII and The Battle of Bosworth, [a moment in time which literally changed the course of Western history, and paved the way for the Tudor dynasty and the English Reformation,] the meaning of the ditty is still crystal clear. If you don't pay attention to the small stuff, you will lose the bigger battles as well. We are at war with the zealots in this world, and we cannot afford to let down our guard, either at home or away, for even a moment.
So, to the Secret Service, SHAPE UP. Intensify your training. NEVER forget that the very future of our nation, and even the future course of the world, could be in your apparently incapable hands. You have one of the most serious jobs on earth. Perhaps you should put your walkie talkies down, and just open your eyes and look around you. The threat is not only from the great. Sometimes, it's the little stuff that brings you down.
And to everyone else, keep your shoes on. Unless you're at the airport, of course.
