During a “surprise” visit to Iraq, George W. Bush held a press conference, during which an Iraqi journalist launched two shoes at the president. The man, who screamed “this is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog,” was later wrestled to the ground. The BBC, which has the remarkable video, reports that in Arab cultures, the “soles of shoes are considered the ultimate insult.” (”Dog,” one might guess, likely comes in a close second.)

It’s one instance where the term “lame duck” doesn’t apply to Bush, who safely dodged the flung footwear.