This thread is getting a bit confused and off topic and therefore at risk of getting locked I would assume.
I'd be interested to hear reasons for and against throwing shoes at President Bush.
Assume for simplicity that the cost of the shoes is unimportant either because they are retrieved undamaged or because the people bring along bags of totally worn-out shoes for the occasion.
For example - reasons for throwing shoes at W:
W has said that the war in Iraq is not yet won. At the very least this implies that it is not yet lost. He has also claimed 'we are winning the War in Iraq. This means if Obama withdraws then he has wasted all the effort put in up until now; it is a crafty thing to say. If unchallenged the ‘we are winning’ claim could lead to years more of war, so the reporter had to challenge it.