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The Other Shoe Drops


A Persian website reports that a shoe was thrown recently at President Mahmud Ahmadinejad during a trip to Orumiyeh, in northwestern Iran.

The reports says security guards couldn't track down the culprit. But according to the same report, a black hat was also thrown at the Iranian president in front of many onlookers.

If it's true, the irony won't be lost on most Iranians. After all, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former U.S. President George Bush became something of a hero among Iranian hard-liners, and several shoe-throwing contests have since been held in Iran.

One of the many bloggers who've already commented on the Ahmadinejad incident was mindful of that fact, noting that "any politician who supports shoe throwing at his/her rival should expect that one day a show will be thrown at him/her."

-- Golnaz Esfandiari

About This Blog

Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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