President Interrupted: The Hecklers of Presidents Past
From Bush's shoes to Regan's 'shut up', the top hecklers in history.
June 15, 2012 -- intro: President Obama may have announced a major change to his administration's immigration policy today, but that announcement got lost in the noise, literally, for a few minutes when a reporter loudly interrupted the president.
While such outbursts are often accompanied by loud boos or, in this case, a stern scolding from the offended speaker, they are not exactly rare.
Here's a look at some notable interruptions, and how presidents from Obama to Ronald Reagan have handled them.
quicklist: 1title: The Rose Garden Reportercategory: President Barack Obamatext: President Obama was visibly miffed when a Daily Caller reporter repeatedly shouted a question at him, interrupting his speech in the Rose Garden Friday.
While Obama was outlining his administration's decision not to deport young undocumented immigrants, reporter Neil Munro yelled "why do you favor foreigners over American workers?"
An angry Obama responded: "It's not time for questions, sir, not while I'm speaking."
"The answer to your question, sir — and the next time I prefer you let me finish my statements before you ask that question — is this is the right thing to do for the American people," the president said at the end of his remarks.
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quicklist: 3title: The Congressional Shoutercategory: President Barack Obamatext: Presidential speeches are often interrupted by collective applause or scattered boos, but when Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouted "You lie" during President Obama's healthcare speech to a joint session of Congress, it was met with the firm hand of the House of Representatives.
The House voted to formally condemn Wilson for his outburst, which he made after Obama said his health care law would not give insurance to illegal immigrants. Wilson was the first Representative in at least 20 years to be officially reprimanded by the House.
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quicklist: 2title: Iraqi Shoe Throwercategory: President George W. Bushtext: Words were not enough for a disgruntled Iraqi journalist. Shortly after President Bush took to the podiums with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki at the Maliki's palace in Baghdad, a journalist hurled his shoe at Bush's head, shouting "This is a farewell kiss, dog!"
Then he took off the other shoe and launched that one at the president as well, yelling "This is the end!"
Bush ducked the first shoe and narrowly avoided getting hit in the face with the second.
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quicklist: 4title: East Room Outburstcategory: President Ronald Reagantext: The Gipper does not like to be interrupted.
When a Republican congressional candidate began loudly criticizing then-President Ronald Reagan during a speech in the East Room of the White House, Reagan grew red-faced and angry, pointing his finger at the heckler and telling him to "shut up," according to media reports.
"You haven't said a word that's true yet," Reagan said, before responding to his accusations.
Gary Arnold, the Republican candidate from California who interrupted Reagan, was being honored along with 65 other GOP candidates as conservative "superstars of 1982."
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