Taking a swipe at Bush: Zaidi-inspired shoe game on Internet

Following in the footsteps of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush, anyone can take a virtual swipe at the US leader on the Internet thanks to a new game.

The aim of "Sock and Awe" (www.sockandawe.com), launched by Britain's Alex Tew, is to knock Bush out with a shoe, a feat already attained by 1.4 million players, according to the website Tuesday.

Aptly named after the US "Shock and Awe" military campaign to knock out Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the game gives players 30 seconds to aim at a figure of Bush ducking behind a rostrum.

It was in protest against the Bush administration's Iraqi policy that journalist Durgham Zaidi threw both his shoes at the outgoing president Sunday during his swansong visit to the battleground. The action won Zaidi widespread plaudits in the Arab world where Bush's policies have drawn broad hostility.

Tew, 24, drew world attention with his "milliondollarhomepage.com", a website he conceived when 21 to help raise money for his university education by selling off pixels at a dollar a piece.

Zaidi, who was taken into custody after the Baghdad incident, has a broken arm and ribs after being struck by security agents, his brother told AFP.

The incident prompted a hugely popular Afghan comedy show to reconstruct the infamous event -- only this time the US president gets it in the face.

Bush is highly unpopular among most ordinary Afghans and footage of the US president ducking as an Iraqi journalist hurled two shoes in his direction has been shown repeatedly on television here.

Now a satirical show has used actors to reconstruct Sunday's press conference in Baghdad, ensuring that this time the shoe hits Bush in the face.

The producer of the show, "Zang-i-Khatar" (Alert Bell), said he wanted to send a message of solidarity with Iraq.

"The aim of the programme, besides making people laugh... is to convey solidarity with the people and journalists of Iraq," Hanif Hamgaam told AFP ahead of the show's airing Wednesday evening.

Source : www.news.id.msn.com