It has been just over a week since Iraqi journalist Muntader al-Zaidi hurled his shoes at American President George Bush, but the pieces of flying footwear have already become a powerful symbol for worldwide frustration and anger.

In the United States, 236.com had a field day with the incident, setting the clip to classical music and suggesting ways for readers to show their solidarity. Meanwhile, numerous grass-roots groups have developed, some suggesting that mailing shoes to President Bush might be the best way to express dissent with his Presidency.

It's hardly surprising that the symbolic shoes are so powerful to so many people. To a great extent, a political history of the past few decades could simply be a catalog of symbols and sound bites. In the late 1980's, for example, a burger commercial became a cultural phenomenon when a Presidential candidate asked his opponent "Where's the beef?" In the intervening years, ribbons of red, pink, white and yellow have gained massive meaning for huge segments of the population, while wristbands of various colors have become markers of causes ranging from testicular cancer to Goth rights. In the recent election cycle, candidates were accused of being unpatriotic or even treasonous based on their wearing of traditional clothes or eschewing of flag pins. Symbols as disparate as a rainbow flag or the middle name Hussein have, in a very real way, become replacements for convictions and strongly verbalized beliefs.

President George W. Bush is headed toward ending up the most disliked president in American history, with an approval rating which has slowly declined to somewhere around 25%. The media scorns him, the liberals scoff at him, and he's still a favorite mud-slinging target of David Letterman. He doesn't ad lib well. He is unable to successfully tell a joke. But you do have to admit that the guy has some stones.

Does a soon to be former president with a spine but no friends, stand a chance at success in the presidential memoirs market? According to an article by Duncan Greenberg at Forbes.com, George W. Bush might see some better offers if he puts off accepting them for a while.

It's pretty much a given that George Bush isn't cut out for the public speaking circuit. I've never seen him attend a speaking engagement with anything akin to poise, power, or emotion. He certainly can't give insight into team building. He'd not be considered an authority on the art of negotiation. About the only point of expertise that I think G.W. could successfully lecture on would be the proposition of setting your jaw and holding your ground. No, there's not much future in public speaking for our pending former president.

Perhaps it would be best if George W. Bush sets his sights upon a few ineffectual board appointments and some blessings of coin from the honorarium crowd. I'm sure that many strong minds among the conservative circles are hoping that their associative attachments to George W. Bush shall quickly fade away. The report from Forbes states; "Laura Bush will write her memoirs first. She reportedly has been entertaining publishers at the White House to discuss a possible book deal, which will likely fetch at least $5 million." I personally think that G.W. should let his wife's book clear the shelves before he even takes a stab at attempting anything like it.

It's really of no earthly consequence what George W. Bush chooses to do in his semi-retirement. I don't read books from former presidents, so I honestly don't care if G.W. authors one or not. However, there is one thing that I'm almost certain of when it comes to the subject of the memoirs of George W. Bush: If he authors them, and they're published, and they sell, and you read them, I believe that you can rest easy in the assurance of this one single fact: President George W. Bush really couldn't care less whether or not you have ever liked what he has found necessary to say to you.

That's exactly why I still like him. The polls be damned.

Halloween costumes are always a difficult decision; while the right choice can make you the hit of the party, the wrong choice could lead neighborhood children to avoid your house, cause you endless embarrassment at parties, and could even lead to arrest.

One solution is to go with a political-themed costume. After all, the combination of a business suit and a latex mask makes it possible to navigate almost any social situation: if people like your candidate, you're completely golden. If they don't, you can always claim that your costume is actually a parody, which should be able to smooth things over.

As the election gets closer and closer, some political masks have become hot items and others have lingered on the shelves. As various pundits have noted, the popularity (and thus price) of Halloween masks is hardly a scientific measure of the popularity of a candidate, but it does seem to give a glimpse into the public's political interests at the moment.

For example, while John McCain and Barack Obama masks are both holding steady at $14.99, Hilary Clinton has dropped to $7.99, and Rudy Giuliani is going for $8.99. To be honest, however, it's possible that some consumers have confused his visage with that of Gollum, or are working on assembling a vintage Adlai Stevenson costume.

Ironically, George Bush masks are going for an impressive $17.99, while George Bush wigs are a dollar more. Bill Clinton masks are $14.99, although the most popular former President remains John F. Kennedy, whose mask fetches a princely $18.99.

Interestingly, the most popular politico is Sarah Palin, whose mask is going for $29.99. To be honest, however, many purchasers expressed wonder that they managed to find a mask of "that chick from 30 Rock."

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. Last year, he went as Lenin, mostly because he didn't have to wear a mask.

Last Friday, after asking reporters to turn off their cameras, President Bush offered his take on the country's current financial crisis. Amid appreciative giggles from his fellow diners, Bush announced that "Wall Street got drunk [...] and now it's got a hangover." He then went on to ask "How long will it [take to] sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments?" Finally, he noted that "We got a housing issue...not in Houston, and evidently not in Dallas, because Laura's over there trying to buy a house."

Here's the video (and some commentary from The Young Turks):




In addition to the President's apparent callousness regarding the country's subprime housing disaster, his seeming ignorance of the long-term implications of his policies is absolutely stunning. No wonder he wanted the cameras off!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's done some silly, stupid things while under the influence, but he's never tanked the economy!

The new "I'd rather go naked than wear fur," campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals featuring Eva Mendes in the buff has captured a great deal of attention for its cause. Since the ad trade is very lemming-like, I wouldn't be surprised to see other causes glom onto the idea, until we're hip-deep in celebrity skin. Some that I envisioned include-

• Bill Gates- I'd rather go naked than go Apple
• John Goodman - I'd rather go naked than go beerless
• Donald Trump- I'd rather go naked than go bald
• Pervez Musharraf- I'd rather go naked than go democratic
• Todd Rundgren- I'd rather go naked than go unarmed
• Lindsay Lohan- I'd rather go naked than go sober
• Dennis Kucinich- I'd rather go naked than go off in another space ship
• Joan Rivers- I'd rather go naked than go wrinkled
• Pat Robertson- I'd rather go naked than go open-minded
• George Bush- I'd rather go naked because I am the disrober
• Paris Hilton- I'd rather go naked than about anything

Who would you rather see go naked, and for what cause?