Hero of the Arab World Has Sentence Reduced

Only five months to go before this conquering hero can hit the lecture circuit and be feted at colleges across America. Even money he's appearing with Olbermann by September 15.

AN Iraqi court cut the jail term of the TV reporter who shot to fame for hurling his shoes at former US president George W Bush from three years to one, his lawyer said today after an appeal.

Iraqi Muntazer al-Zaidi, 30, was convicted by a Baghdad court on March 12 of attempting to assault Mr Bush during his farewell visit to the Iraqi capital in December.

Lawyer Dhiya al-Saadi said: "The appeals court decided to reduce the jail sentence from three years to one for several reasons.

"They considered his motives, the fact that he is still a young man and the fact that he had no previous criminal record.

"His good behaviour in prison is another reason why his sentence has been reduced.''

Zaidi is actually set to be released on September 14 because of the three months he has also served and because, under Iraqi law, only nine months are actually served for each year of a sentence.

Heartbreaking News: Liberal Mascot Facing 15 Years In Jail

I'm sure there'll be all sorts of feigned outrage over this, although since George W. Bush is now in retirement, his usefuleness has passed. Maybe they can cut a deal whereby he can do an NPR show from jail, thus satisfying all sides.

The Iraqi journalist who gained worldwide cult status for throwing his shoes at former President George W. Bush faces up to 15 years in jail.

Muntazer al-Zaidi faced court today on charges of assaulting a visiting head of State during the stunt last December.

But the trial was soon adjourned while the court considers whether Mr Bush's visit was formal or informal.

Zaidi was handcuffed and surrounded by a pack of security guards when he was brought to Iraq's Central Criminal Court in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone.

He looked solemn as as he arrived at court wearing an Iraqi flag tied round his neck as a scarf.

Family members waiting for him inside the courthouse ululated wildly as he was brought in.

Relatives and supporters applauded and chanted 'Imam Ali is with you hero,' in reference to a revered Shiite Muslim saint.

The judge asked Zaidi to state his name, occupation and address.

Zaidi has been imprisoned for more than two months and his family claim he was beaten after being pounced on by security guards at Bush's news conference.

His defence lawyers lost an appeal to have the charges reduced to insulting Bush, a lesser offence.

Liberal Icon Facing Trial in Iraq

No doubt there will be worldwide pleas to go easy on this liberal icon and media darling.

The journalist who threw his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush will face trial on February 19 for assaulting a visiting head of state, with a maximum 15-year prison term, a court official said on Sunday.

Muntazer al-Zaidi's defense lawyers lost an appeal to have the charges against him reduced to a lesser offence of insulting Bush, rather than assaulting him.

"The Iraqi appeals court has rejected the appeal submitted by Muntader al-Zaidi's defense lawyer to change the charges, and decided to set February 19 as the date for trial," said Iraqi judiciary council spokesman Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar.

Al-Zaidi has been held in jail in Baghdad since hurling both shoes at Bush at a December 14 news conference during the then president's final visit to Iraq. Bush ducked the flying shoes while the journalist called him a "dog."

The act, captured on television, made al-Zaidi a hero in much of the Arab world. In one tribute, an artist built a giant statue of a shoe, which was eventually dismantled, in ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown Tikrit.

Iraqi law has a statute forbidding aggression against visiting leaders. Al-Zaidi's lawyers have argued that throwing a shoe could not be considered aggression because it could not cause actual harm, and was therefore only an insult.

Of course if anyone dares toss a shoe at Barack Obama it'll probably be a capital offense.