While the name Muntadhar al-Zeidi may not sound familiar at first, many of you know who he is. Let me refresh your memory. Al-Zeidi is the Iraqi journalist that hurled his shoes at former President George W. Bush. Remember now?

Let me first point out that even though many of us found this to be a laughing matter, it was still in fact an attempted assault. But it was just that, an attempt, and a failed attempt at that.

So why then has al-Zeidi been sentenced to three years in prison? Yes, he threw shoes at our former president, but he missed. His shoes missed the president, not a bullet, not a knife, just shoes.

If nothing else, al-Zeidi has shown America how good Bush’s reflexes are. Even I was impressed, which I never thought I’d be during the Bush administration.

There are many beliefs that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s U.S. backed government was responsible for al-Zeidi’s harsh sentencing. While al-Mailiki denied any interference with the trial, there are still suspicions, according to a March 22, Associated Press article.

This sentencing is far too extreme for this action. Yes the man should be punished. Maybe slapped with a fine and even forced to serve time for a month or so. But three years is an irrational punishment. In fact, I would argue it’s not so much a punishment as it is a political statement, and a corrupt one at that.

Leidhra Johnson can be reached at [email protected]