With only his shoes, one Iraqi took from the outgoing US president something priceless: his dignity, writes Amin Howeidi Everyone saw it on television, some liking it more than others. To me the whole shoe affair is a reminder that might is not right. You don't have to wield the most sophisticated of weapons to have an impact. It's not what you have, but how you use it. A fly can stop a lion in its tracks, if it goes into its eyes. David can bring down Goliath. And rudimentary weapons can challenge superior, even nuclear arms, as the events in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine tell us. Stone-throwing children have confronted Israeli forces for years. Likewise, the resistance in Iraq and Afghanistan has driven highly armed invading troops to distraction. What matters in a battle is to stay standing. Battles are a contest of wills. President George W Bush, who is about to leave office, recognised only one form of power: brute force. Soft power had no meaning to him. Finesse was not the style of the man who started the crudest of wars, while claiming to be spreading democracy and fighting terror. Bush invaded Iraq while the war in Afghanistan was still underway -- he couldn't wait. In a different but just world, people like Bush should be locked away. The outgoing president wrecked the infrastructure of Iraq; killing thousands upon thousands while boasting that he can take Iraq back to the Dark Ages. As a result, the American people voted him and his party out of office. It will be up to Obama to sort out the mess Bush is leaving behind. Before leaving the White House, Bush went to Iraq on a goodbye tour. I can only imagine his troops wondering why they had to stay behind; why they had to remain in the battlefield while their president goes to a comfortable retirement in his private ranch. Then Bush held a new conference with the Iraqi prime minister. As it happened, a man was sitting in the room that had a bit of temper. Montadhar Al-Zaidi may be a Shia, but he is an Iraqi first and foremost. And Iraqis, like the camels of the desert, never forget insults. Al-Zaidi watched the outgoing president speak. He watched the man who brought nothing but havoc and mayhem on Iraq boast of his accomplishments. In a moment of virtuous abandon, Al-Zaidi stood up and did the unexpected. With one shoe after another, Al-Zaidi pelted the American president. "This is your kiss goodbye, you dog," he said. In no time, he was wrestled down to the floor. To some people, Al-Zaidi is a villain. What did he accomplish, some asked. Can you settle scores with someone who killed millions with a pair of shoes? Of course not. But still, if you ask me, it was worth it. Al-Zaidi has taken away the semblance of dignity from someone who deserves none. George W Bush walked into history without dignity. Al-Zaidi walked into history barefoot. Who is better off?
