The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at former US President George W Bush has had his sentence cut from three years to one year on appeal, and is in line to have it cut further.
Muntadar al-Zaidi's lawyer argued that the charge should be changed from assault to insulting a foreign leader, and, as Mr Bush is no longer a foreign leader, the charges may be dropped altogether.
Yaha al-Ittabi even argued that Bush wasn't much of a leader anyway, a view subscribed to by millions of people all over the world, and that Mr al-Zaidi should not only be freed, but that he should also be pardoned and honoured in Iraq, and given a special statue in the capital, Baghdad, just like the one Saddam Hussein had.
Mr Hussein, he said, would be looking down on Mr al-Zaidi, and smiling on him and showering him with a thousand blessings for his courageous and loyal act.
