For anyone who's traveled to other countries or spoken to foreign visitors, it's pretty commonplace to meet people who have nothing but bad things to say about America. They're nice at first, pleased to meet an American, but get them to really open up and I mostly just heard negativity, distrust, and a distaste for the incessant invasion of American culture. Things have only gotten worse in recent years, particularly since Bush has been in office. The war did nothing, absolutely nothing, to redeem our reputation.

Personally, I chuckle to see somebody throw shoes at Bush. I also, simultaneously, am appalled at the lack of respect. Like him or not, he's the President of the U.S. and, as such, deserves a modicum of courtesy. He represents the U.S. and so somebody throwing shoes at him is like somebody throwing shoes at all of us. Not to mention, boil it down, he's a human being who can be humiliated or embarrassed just like the rest of us. In that vein, I feel sympathy for the man who just had shoes lobbed at his head.

PS: Props to Bush's reflexes. Boo to the molasses reaction of the Secret Service. Somebody could have emptied their gun in the time it took them to say, "Uh...wha...?"

Edit: In watching the video a couple more times, it wasn't even the Secret Service that pulled the man back. It was another journalist sitting behind him who pulled the guy to the ground.

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