Clemency For The Shoeman

by digby

I was watching Fox News a bit ago and saw Fred Barnes sliming the journalist who threw the shoe at Bush as some kind of quasi terrorist because he'd once worked at a radical Egyptian paper. And now, from Siun at FDL, I see that the fellow is being treated like one: reports are surfacing that he's being tortured.

I actually thought Bush handled this thing quite well. He was literally quick on his feet and didn't take it too seriously. (I thought the "I saw into his sole" thing was particularly good.) He could do a great thing right now by making a public appeal to the Iraqis to pardon this man. It would be magnanimous and do his personal reputation a world of good --- and it would be good for both countries.

Siun is asking that people call the white house and urge Bush to step in to stop the torture. I would guess that's not going to sell. But perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask Bush to make a Christian gesture of forgiveness at Christmastime and ask them to release this man. Maybe he'll even do it.


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