Iraq

Shoe-thrower’s sentence reduced

The journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush in Baghdad in the presence of Prime Minister al-Maliki last December has had his sentence cut from three years to one.

This is in contrast to what would have happened to him if he had thrown his shoes in the presence of Saddam Hussein while he was in power. In that case, the only things cut would have been his head and possibly other body parts.

At any rate, a one-year sentence seems about right for the offense– and certainly far more lenient than he would have got in any other Arab country.

Update: On second thought, I agree with Mark T that even a one-year sentence is excessive. It should have been in the range of three to six months. My other points stand.