Which one was the heel?

This story needs to be read.

This journalist, Muntadar al-Zeidi, was moved enough to take the action he took. If only more of our journalists had thrown their shoes (either figuratively or literally) before the Iraq invasion: we might not have invaded.

Now someone has beaten al-Zeidi?

Sure, he pitched his Hush Puppies at the president. OK. This was maybe wrong-headed at least and incredibly stupid at worst. But should he be beaten, tried, and imprisoned for doing it?

Absolutely not.

Dubya, to his credit, handled it very well.

But even as he keeps blathering about democracy breaking out everywhere, he misses the point: if free-speech is vital to the proper function of any democracy, wasn't al-Zeidi simply exercising his right to free-speech?

Yes, anyone's right to throw their shoes might end at the point that anyone else's head begins, but Bush should use his head (for once) and see this act as a positive sign.

Yes, al-Zeidi might not have made it out of the room if he had targeted Saddam's head, but the truth is that al-Zeidi would never have tried doing this to Saddam because free-speech wasn't a hallmark of Saddam's regime. Bush can't have it both ways. (Look what happened when Hamas was democratically voted into power?)

Democracy isn't easy. It takes practice, patience, effort, work.... thrown shoes.

Give al-Zeidi a fine and a few weeks in jail, then let him get back to being a journalist and exercising his right to free-speech. Iraq's democracy will be better for it.