Iraqi—and, indeed, global—hero Muntader al-Zaidi, whose act of hurling his shoes at failed president GW Bush proved him superior to all other political journalists, is going to jail. Despite having an excuse:

"In that moment, I saw nothing but Bush, and I felt the blood of the innocents flowing under his feet while he was smiling that smile," he said during a hearing last month.

Here in America, "he was smiling that smile" is considered an acceptable legal justification for any crime targeting GW Bush, but Baghdad's fledgling justice system has not progressed that far yet. Muntader was sentenced to three years in prison, which prompted an uproar among Iraqis chanting "Maliki is a dog!" "Dog" is a great insult, which we should bring back in this hero journalist's honor.

Muntader: it was worth it.