''WHY I HEART HOWARD DEAN'' (UPDATED)

Susan from the Suburban Guerilla site has this on "The Great Shoe Debate" with a cross link to a Kossack's account from Portland, with the attendant comments. Among the issues covered in the comments: "Did he bring an extra shoe to throw, like it was premeditated, or was he only wearing one when they marched him out? The latter would be much more powerful and spontaneous.." Always willing to dig deeper to get all the facts for you, here's the local tv report on the debate. Not surprisingly, it takes a typical mainstream approach, treating the shoe-thrower as a criminal and noting that he was charged with "disorderly conduct." The reporter says the crowd got "ugly," failing to mention that the issue in question, the Iraq war, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens, financed by our tax dollars. How "ugly" is that? One also learns from the comments on Kos that "pointing the soles of your shoes at someone else's head is insulting in Arabic culture." Why, you ask? Because "the sole of the foot is the most unclean part of the body. Until recent years, most Arabs lived in the desert where they raised sheep and camels. They did not have shoes, so they were walking on the filthy ground with their bare feet. Hence, showing the sole of a foot to an Arab is a grave insult." Seattle's own Dina Lydia also has another great photo in the comments. A suggestion for a "Great Shoe Drive" was made, with the appropriate photo, like the one with Barbara Boxer and the roses. Update: Carla at Preemptive Karma has this account of the debate. She reminded me that Perle is a former disciple of Scoop Jackson, which I keep trying to forget.