President George Bush almost regretted putting himself in the line of fire for the second time this week, when, at a news conference he was addressing in Baghdad, a mince pie thrown from a group of journalists narrowly missed him.
The pie, a succulent festive treat produced by using mincemeat made from dried fruit, candied peel, spices and a little brandy or alcohol, into pastry-covered tarts, was launched towards Mr Bush as he delivered his Christmas speech to the great Iraqi nation.
It missed by a couple of feet, instead hitting an Iraqi security guard standing behind the President. The guard caught the pie, and it was taken away for analysis. It was later discovered to be packed with explosives, and was 'made safe'.
The ingenuity of the Iraqi insurgents has to be admired. Only last week, 10lbs of explosives was found in some Christmas crackers at a British army base, and US marines' suspicions about a turkey delivered to one of their bases two months early, were well-founded when it was discovered that the bird had been stuffed with non-traditionl Semtex, rather than Paxo.
President Bush is currently on a tour of Iraq and Afghanistan to see how many attempts on his life can be made before he leaves office.
