I've been reading the coverage of this incident in The Times today. Intrestingly enough, quite a few people there (Times site) comment on one facet of this "shoe protest" that has not been raised here.

If any doubted that democracy and freedom of speech had been brought to Iraq courtesy of US actions, watch those shoes being thrown and consider what would have been the mans fate had he even tried to throw them at Saddam - His throat would have been slit on camera for all the world to see and his entire family wiped out before the end of the day.