On Friday, all three network morning shows fretted over a woman throwing a shoe at Hillary Clinton during a speaking event in Las Vegas. NBC Today co-host Tamron Hall was particularly melodramatic: "I mean, but how scary is that?...Had it hit her, that would have been awful. It would have been awful." Weatherman Al Roker added: "Jeez, that's frightening." Hall declared: "It's hard for me to watch, actually." [Listen to the audio]



The shoe was on the other foot in 2008, when an Iraqi journalist threw two shoes at then-President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference. At that time, ABC and CBS referred to the shoe-thrower as a "celebrity" and "folk hero" who "thrilled the Arab world." In 2009, then-MSNBC host David Shuster actually cheered the release of the footwear assailant from prison. Tamron Hall happened to be on the show at the time and observed that people would have been "more outraged" if someone threw a shoe at President Obama.

By contrast, on Friday's ABC Good Morning America, White House correspondent Jon Karl reported: "Hillary Clinton took that with good humor. But it was a scary moment." Co-host George Stephanopoulos remarked: "Yeah, Hillary Clinton, quick with the quip. But that was a scary moment there for a second."



On CBS This Morning, co-host Charlie Rose observed that Clinton "handled that quite well" before noting that the thrower was "facing federal charges." Fellow co-host Norah O'Donnell gushed: "You know, it was amazing to see how calm she [Hillary Clinton] was....she didn't really react much at all and had a great retort, you know?" Rose agreed: "It was amazing." O'Donnell concluded: "Incredible, indeed."



In 2008, concerns over Bush's safety were less important to the networks, who seized on that shoe-throwing incident as a gaffe that showed his unpopularity.

Here are transcripts of the coverage on the April 11 morning shows: