To paraphrase his relationship with Russia's Vladimir Putin, President Bush looked into the eyes of an Iraqi journalist and saw his sole.

It was a dramatic moment on Sunday as Bush and Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki held a news conference in Baghdad. It was a farewell of sorts for Bush, who made a surprise visit to the country to celebrate the newly adopted security agreement between the two countries that would result in the withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.

Not long into the presser, an Iraqi journalist stood up and threw a shoe at Bush — the ultimate insult in Iraq — and shouted, "This is a gift from the Iraqis. This is the farewell kiss, you dog! ... This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" The journalist missed his intended target, and missed a second time when he threw his other shoe. Bush made light of the incident, though it clearly shook up U.S. and Iraqi officials.

(The fact that Bush was still standing when the second shoe came at him raises a serious question about his security detail, but that is for another day.)

This may very well prove to be a defining moment for Bush and his war policy, but it's not the first time a shoe became a metaphor in politics.

Four shoe related campaign buttons.
 

Khrushchev. On Oct. 12, 1960, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev disrupted a U.N. General Assembly session by repeatedly banging his shoe on the desk.

Stevenson. During the 1952 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson was photographed with his legs crossed, showing a huge hole in the bottom of his shoe. The Eisenhower (R) campaign responded with ridicule and — far more important — buttons, suggesting what a Stevenson victory might lead to. The Stevenson camp responded with buttons of its own, and a campaign song for Adlai led off with, "I'd rather have a man with a hole in his shoe than a hole in everything he says."

Marcos. In 1986, Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his family — including wife Imelda — fled the country in advance of a coup that was about to topple him. Among the extravagances left behind were an estimated 1,000-plus pair of shoes owned by Imelda.

Powell. Shortly after Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell (D) died in 1970, some $800,000 in cash was found in shoeboxes (and other receptacles). Ever since, "Powell" and "shoebox" have been metaphors for corruption in Illinois politics. Thank goodness that era is long gone.

Shoe and Shue campaign buttons.
 

As long as we're on the subject, we can't ignore Jim Shue, who was the Republican nominee for Congress in New Jersey's 11th District in 1970. He lost in a landslide to Democratic incumbent Joseph Minish.

And there's also Richard Celeste, a Democrat elected governor of Ohio in 1982. Yes, he proved to be a "shoe-in," but this button refers to the fact that he picked state Rep. Myrl Shoemaker as his running mate for lieutenant governor.

Note: I received an e-mail from Larry Mattivi of Broomes Island, Md., suggesting a Political Junkie feature on famous shoes in history. But I swear I thought of it first!

categories: A Look Back In Politics

9:51 - December 15, 2008

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