it's time to do one of my favorite segments.
Crazy ass moments in American politics inspired by the twitter account that
happens to have that same name,
today we're talking about the presidency of George W Bush.
It wasn't so long ago, so fairly recent history and so
without further ado, let's jump in.
[MUSIC]
Now for those of you who might be too young to remember, there were many crazy
ass moments in American politics during the George Bush administration.
One of the craziest moments was when someone threw one, no, actually not one
but two shoes at the former president as he was addressing the media.
Let's take a quick look at that.
>> [INAUDIBLE]
>> Okay, so the video is,
let's keep it real funny, the story behind it not so funny, but
before we get to the story behind it, Dr Richie, am I a bad person for
admitting that it was impressive that he was able to dodge both of those shoes.
Like that was the most impressive thing George Bush has ever done in his entire
life, okay?
>> My dear sister, let me tell you something, I remember when this
happened and I said, well damn, that's a so fans moment, right?
When Bush, I was kinda proud a little bit, I said look at him right.
So I remember when this went down obviously it was an extremely publicized
moment for those who lived during the political era.
And the irony of it is that when [LAUGH] the president of that time
George W Bush was asked about it, he kinda respected what the guy did.
He said, hey it's one way to get attention and I say this, I'm not mad at him,
I'm paraphrasing, he said, I got you talking about it.
I don't know what the guy's movement is about, but
you're asking me questions about it so I guess he proved his point, right.
So it was a way to get attention obviously,
to my understanding the individual that threw the shoes, he did get arrested but
became a hero to his community and to many in America by extension.
>> For sure, and so let's get into the context to what happened?
Why did someone throw his shoes at Bush?
Well, visiting the country for one last time before he left office,
president George Bush joined Iraq prime minister Nouri al Maliki for
a news conference in Baghdad.
Where he proceeded to argue that the prolonged conflict had
been necessary for world peace.
That is insane, obviously the person throwing the shoes,
not the only one who disagrees with that.
Now, Muntasser All Ziadie is the journalist and
also the man who threw the shoes.
So this is a gift from the Iraqis.
This is a farewell kiss you dog,
the journalist shouted in Arabic as he hurled a shoe at Bush.
The President ducted and then [INAUDIBLE], I'm sorry if I'm butchering his name but
that was when the journalist let his other shoe fly.
This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq he yelled,
and listen, obviously someone who's very critical of that
preemptive war in Iraq that was based on complete false pretenses.
I have a lot of empathy for that point of view would not carry out
any type of physical act to communicate that but
I am glad that Bush was a good sport about it I guess.
Now the video made him a hero, the journalist,
thousands of protesters demanded his release from prison while lawyers
worldwide volunteered to represent him for free.
The Iraq government requested an apology from his employer Instead
his boss said that he was building him a new four bedroom house and
would be ready in time for his release.
That's a great employer.
That sounds like something Jake would do, I'm not even kidding.
>> Yeah, but isn't it interesting that Donald Trump avoided shoes
being thrown at him for four years?
>> I know, it is amazing, it really is.
I would venture to say that he would not be as good at ducking to avoid the shoes.
>> Not at all.
>> Yeah, which is why I kinda wish that someone tried it, no,
I'm just kidding, I don't advocate violence, I promise.
Now, the journalists newfound fame also did not save him from prison.
So there is some negative parts to the story.
He was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign official.
After he was released early in September 2009, he said that he had been
tortured by guards and senior government officials who beat him with iron bars,
administered electric shocks and left him soaked in cold water overnight.
It sounds like what US soldiers did in Gitmo to be honest,
one of his front teeth was also missing.
In an op-ed he wrote for the Guardian after his release, he stood by his
actions, so he paid the price for it but he wasn't willing to apologize.
As soon as I finished my professional duties and
reporting the daily tragedies while I washed away the remains of the debris
of the ruined Iraq houses or the blood that stained my clothes.
I would clench my teeth and make a pledge to our victims,
a pledge of vengeance, the opportunity came and I took it, is it bad?
Like I kind of, like I love that a little bit, again, I don't wanna advocate for
violence or anything like that but it's so rare to come across people these days,
especially in America with all the incentives being in the wrong place.
Like people who actually have core values, principles, things that they love and
will really fight for.
Like i it's inspiring to see that, I love when I come across people who
actually stand for something and care about their community.
>> 100% agree.
While we don't advocate for violence, I do advocate for
the spirit that was inside of the person.
>> Exactly.
>> Spirit said, I don't have influence, I don't have enough power to stop this,
I know the truth and I want the truth to have attention.
And I'm going to do something radical that I know is going to get me arrested and
it may get me tortured but this truth will be told and people will know why I did it.
And this professional who did not have political status nor
was he rich decided to sacrifice his job, his career,
his freedom, his connection to family, his money, his reputation.
In order to bring attention to the truth.
Here's what they don't highlight in the story about this young man.
He was right.
>> Yep, exactly.
And I would regret not ending this with a video of one of
Trump's notorious Trump's sorry, Freudian slip,
I guess, one of Bush's famous Bushisms.
I don't even know what this video is.
There's too many to count.
Taylor our wonderful producer chose it and so let's take a look at what it is.
>> There's an old Tennessee I know it's in Texas,
probably in Tennessee that says, fool me once, shame on,
shame on you, you fool me can't get fooled again.
>> [LAUGH] >> My God.
>> That's never gets old.
>> It never gets old.
That one and my personal favorite is when he announced that Mandela was dead
when Mandela certainly was not dead.
Do you remember that?
>> I do remember that.
>> My God, someone came up to me the other day and said, where's Mandela?
And I told him Mandela's dead.
Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas, I was like, my God.
And you can tell there's a moment where he pauses as he's saying it because I feel
like someone in the audience going like, stop talking, no.
>> And then his brain starts to turn back on and
it's like, did I say that out loud, I did.
>> [LAUGH] So bad.
My gosh.
>> those were the good old days Anna,
the good old days of dumbass Republican presidents.
>> Yeah, I mean look in terms of what he did, his actions under the,
in my opinion, leadership of Dick Cheney, It was terrible.
I mean he committed the worst war crimes, American citizens lost so many of their
civil liberties, their freedoms, their privacy, just awful, awful stuff.
The reason why I think we see a lot of these like establishment democrats
like launder his reputation these days is because Trump is so overtly heinous.
Whereas Bush was pretty bad, like terrible and
did terrible things, but like put a nice face on it.
And so we gotta be careful, he might, his fumbles might seem endearing but
beneath that dumbass facade is someone who actually caused a lot of pain and
suffering around the world.
>> Evil policy came from George W Bush,
just like evil policy came from Donald Trump.
>> Exactly.