The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush in Baghdad has become a hero in the Arab world. The infamous ‘shoegate’ as it’s now being called is buzzing everywhere, from newspaper editorials to late night talk shows and the Internet. There’s even a video game on it.
Though Bush ducked the shoe, he couldn’t escape the impact anyway which was big on television and went out of control on the Internet.
For some, the incident was a respite from an otherwise not-so pleasant news world.
Just hours after the first pictures of Al-Zaidi the scribe, flinging his shoe at president Bush were beamed into homes across the world, users on the Internet could play an online flash game. In the game, they take the role of a secret service agent shooting down flying shoes, before they strike the president.
Also, there were video responses where the shoe was replaced by various objects. There was the volleyball, the Saddam Hussain head and the inevitable pie. The late night shows too weren’t far behind in letting a chance like that pass.
But it was not all bad for the president. Analysts who watched the show said that Bush actually dealt with it really well, first by showing quick reflexes in getting out of the way, and then by looking at the humorous side.
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