Iraqi Ambassador Reassures Muntazar al-Zaidi: "These are the Fruits of Freedom"

The Iraqi Ambassador to the US, Samir Sumaida'ie, encounters CODEPINK activists and their signs ("Free al-Zaidi" and "Al-Zaidi Speaks for Me") during a presentation. He explains to them why the treatment and possible 15-year jail sentence of Al-Zaidi is justified.

It is because Al-Zaidi insulted George Bush. (No word from the Ambassador on whether any Iraqis might have felt "insulted" by George Bush over the last 5 1/2 years.) Thank goodness, the Ambassador added, he didn't do this when Saddam Hussein was around:

Everybody gets the fruits of freedom. Even those who don't know how to handle them.

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ElEN4i2V9v8[/youtube]

Meanwhile in Iraq: Showdown for the al-Maliki Government?

The New York Times reports:

Up to 35 officials in the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior ranking as high as general have been arrested over the past three days with some of them accused of quietly working to reconstitute Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party.

Iraqi security officials asserted that those arrested were involved "in the early stages of a coup". Specificially, they were accused of affiliation with Al Awda, an alleged descendant of the Baath Party.

All this may be true but, assuming that all those arrested are Sunni, the Shi'a-led al-Maliki Government now faces a challenge that goes beyond plotters --- both political and military --- in its midst. Arrests in the past have sparked violence and reprisals throughout Iraq. Whether those reprisals occur again, and whether the Government can respond effectively to prevent sectarian conflict, will be a major test of the stability of the "new" Iraq.

From the Archives: What Shoes Mean in Iraq

President Bush was bemused when asked about the gift of footwear offered him at his news conference yesterday. It was "one of the weirdest" moments of his eight years in office.

If George wants to take it beyond "weird", he might consider the significance of shoes in Iraqi society. A scene from April 2003:

[youtube]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rcya5pNBMHs[/youtube]