Duck, Duck, SHOE!

Reuters - Fri Apr 17, 1:01 PM ET
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's politicians contesting in the general election, fearful of shoes hurled at them by disgruntled voters, have asked for more security and are erecting metal nets at rallies.
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We now have a reference point for shoe dodging politicians. We have the "Bush" incident in the books and in anticipation of reporters, fresh from their 'shoe throwing' advanced courses, they want a cage match. But this story is about disgruntled voters? What are reporters these days if not disgruntled voters.

Do you see what the media has become? The man who threw the shoe at President Bush was 'fair and balanced'. He said the first shoe was only fair, and with only one shoe on he couldn't balance.

India makes America's 2 party system look like "Democracy for Dummies." There are so many factions of passionate voters in India that it is difficult to get a majority vote in any election. I have been to India, they leave a tree fallen in the middle of the road for days or weeks, a dead body lies where it has fallen because these actions are the 'will of god'. But they can't seem to leave well enough alone when it comes to their politics. Let's just say that this is not the place you want to go to get 'feet wet' politically. The Indian people are for the most part low key, polite, and articulate. But my observation is that they can go from mellow to outraged within a few political words like pushing the button on a missile launch, they go ballistic. Since I don't want to broad stroke their culture into a stero-type I will just say this, with great admiration I might add.. Any American talking head politician would be eaten alive trying to peddle their wares in India.

Wasn't it Gandhi who said "Speak softly and carry a big shoe?"