Did any president in US history ever draw a shoe-attack? George W Bush, 43rd in line, earned himself the singular distinction when Iraqi journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi, hurled his shoes one after another at him during a press conference in Baghdad. Bush ducked and shoes sailed past his smirking face. Second shoe flung at him hit the star-spangled US flag. Bemused Bush muttered: "I don't know what the guy's cause is...I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it." In sheepish levity he sniggered: "If you want the facts, it was 10-size shoe that he threw." So much is for Bush's jokiness and his parting visit to the vanquished state. Journalist al-Zaidi not only hurled shoes at Bush but also shouted invectives: "It's the farewell kiss, you dog." While hurling the second shoe, he shouted: "This one is for Iraqi widows and orphans." Bush has made history and so has al-Zaidi. But poor journalist who represented cumulative angst of his nation might end up in Guantanamo rest and recreation facility for the intransigent and the unenlightened. He already has a few limbs broken. Hurling shoes and calling someone dog is not considered a serious indignity in the Western culture but in Muslim world it can be a matter of life and death. In the subcontinent politics, however, beating political opponents with shoes is not new but it surely raises eyebrows. For instance, our own worthies like Dr Sher Afgan, Senator Tariq Azeem, Sindh MPA Arbab Rahim, and MNA Farooq Sattar have had the taste of it in the past. But everyone pales before Bush; for he is the first president and master surveyor of the planet -earth, to face such ignominy. One wonders how his dad, the senior Mr Bush, would feel about the historic event, the shoe legacy his accomplished progeny would leave behind. The event also sets a precedent that symbols of oppression however secured could be shoe-lashed. It could be a matter of discomfort for Bush's former ally, General (retd) Musharraf, who intends to lecture in the West. Someone among the audience might go for his shoes when the general delivered his monologue of fighting War On Terror. Other than talking about the forged war, he has not much stored in his repertoire. Bush's bewilderment over "what the guy's cause (for throwing shoes) is..." proves he is either too nave or he is under a spell. Doesn't he know how the Iraqi families who have lost more than 1.28 million of their dear ones feel about the superpower's invasion of their homeland? Is he so callous and insensitive about the families of more than 4200 US soldiers killed and many thousands disabled for life in an unjust war he waged in Iraq? The spontaneous protests that al-Zaidi's arrest has generated in the Arab world clearly show how large majorities of the Muslims view US tyranny in their respective countries. al-Zaidi's only weapon had been his pair of shoes that he used to his heart's content. It must give nightmares to Bush's proxies in the Muslim world. As a precaution, audience in future press conferences might not only be stripped of their shoes but much more. al-Zaidi meanwhile has established himself a hero to envy. Many in other Muslim countries ruled by US proxies might think of following in his footsteps. He has given the oppressed new hope to be free of foreign domination perpetrated by the local assets. Iraqis are not as vengeful as Afghans, something for Bush to know, if their ravaged country happens to be his next port of call. Rotund Iraqis are proverbially unwearied compared with lanky, hawkish, and quick-at-trigger Afghans. That's why Nuri al-Maliki in Iraq is not as uncomfortable as Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan. Karzai lately wanted a chelak - stone attached to a long string to pull the kites down, to down NATO planes bombing Afghan villages. Ambivalent Karzai walks on thin rope. US is a dwindling empire; aura of its invincibility is drawing to an end, otherwise, its president would not be booted in full public view and humiliate his nation. People in the Muslim world particularly have lost respect for US democracy that throws up leaders like Bush, Cheney, and rest of their neocon cohorts who have made the world a dangerous place to live. Journalist al-Zaidi, by risking his life, has demarcated the path of resistance against the US domination. It is time for the monarchies in the Arab world and puppet regimes in rest of the Muslim countries to introspect. How far and for how long will the few at the top face the collective anger of their people? How long will we fight the US War On Terror in our tribal areas? Emotionally charged people are akin to a time bomb ticking away. It is time for us to rethink. The writer is a freelance columnist E-mail: pinecity@gmail.com