Shoe Thrower Viciously Beaten, Probably by Things That Hurt More Than Shoes

Muntader al-Zaidi is now the most loved man in the world because he threw his shoes at the most hated man in the world and those are the rules. What happened to Mr. al-Zaidi after his heroic display of impotent rebellion? Well, the NY Times reports:

Mr. Maliki’s security agents jumped on the man, wrestled him to the floor and hustled him out of the room. They kicked him and beat him until “he was crying like a woman,” said Mohammed Taher, a reporter for Afaq, a television station owned by the Dawa Party, which is led by Mr. Maliki.

This next gem gives a little insight into how Mr. Bush believes a healthy democracy functions:

He [Bush] also called the incident a sign of democracy, saying, “That’s what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves,” as the man’s screaming could be heard outside.[emphasis added]

That must have been the most uncomfortable press conference of all time.

"Mr. President, do you have any plans for Jan. 21st?"
"Heh heh, clear some brush, heh heh."
[From outside]: "OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH! PLEASE STOP BEATING ME! DIDN'T YOU THINK THAT WAS FUNNY?!"
"Heh heh...that's the sound of freedom."
[Press corp laughs]