In the USA simple assault is a misdemeanor. This is definately simple assault. There was no deadly weapon used. There was absolutely no physical harm done. Muntazer al-Zaidi was not close enough to pose any real danger, Bush ducked. He had plenty of time to see a 'flying shoe' coming at him and he ducked. As a matter of fact, the Iraqi Prime Minister, what ever his name is, was able to attempt to shield Bush from the second flying shoe. This is outrageous. The shoe throwing was no more than simple assault and more an act of freedom of speech. This is Iraq? The 'jewel' of Bush's push for global democracy? I see.
The argument can even be made that Mr. Bush 'aggrivated' the incident by using inflammatory language and lies. The 'journalist' should have received a reprimand and nothing more. It's a war zone, what does anyone expect? A Flying Set of Shoes is a healthy response and one that does far less damage than a suicide bomb. That's a shame.
