WORLD> Middle East
Iraqi ex-speaker: Shoe-thrower brave man
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-24 20:50

BAGHDAD -- The newly resigned Iraqi parliament speaker has praised the journalist who threw shoes at President George W. Bush and says the legislature should have supported him.

The newly resigned Iraqi parliament speaker has praised the journalist who threw shoes at President George W. Bush and says the legislature should have supported him. [Agencies]

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Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's comments Wednesday came a day after he resigned under heavy pressure from Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers.

Al-Mashhadani, who is Sunni, described the journalist as "brave" and lamented that parliament did not also do so.

The abrasive speaker had frequently quarreled with lawmakers, but tensions came to a head last week during a shouting match over the detention of journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi.

The speaker's many opponents used the incident as a pretext to force him out.