# Grenade Lobbed at Bush?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 11, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303 "2005-05-11T00:00:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/1 "2005-05-11T00:00:45Z")
[While he was in Georgia, it might have happened.](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7781473/)
> [@](#):
>
> The Secret Service was investigating a report Tuesday that a hand grenade was thrown at the stage during President Bush’s speech in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
>
> It was the only incident to mar what had otherwise been a triumphal appearance by the president in the former Soviet republic, where he said that Georgia had proven to the world that determined people can rise up and claim their freedom from oppressive rulers.
>
> After Bush left Georgia on Tuesday, the Secret Service was informed by Georgian authorities of a report that a device, possibly a hand grenade, had been thrown within 100 feet of the stage during Bush’s speech, hit someone in the crowd and fell to the ground, Secret Service spokesman Jonathan Cherry said.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/2 "2005-05-11T00:10:43Z")
Why (please God if you exist) why didn’t it go off!
(only joking. I would never condone the killing of human beings, even ones like GWB, but this would be something exciting to see on Sky News in the morning)
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### Author:  [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/3 "2005-05-11T00:28:54Z")
on countdown they reported that the pin was pulled, but it did not explode.
mr obermann said something about faulty soviet weapons. the person speaking about the incident quoted andy rooney: “i’d be more worried about soviet weapons, if i hadn’t seen soviet ball point pens.”
interesting that secret service didn’t find out about it until pres. left country.
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### Author:  [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/4 "2005-05-11T07:26:26Z")
Or perhaps they knew, but had the situation under control and did not let the press know until after the President was safely away? No need to cause undue panic. Nor is there any reason to let unknown crazies know that their plot was known about.
This is a very strange occurance. It almost seems _too_ fitting that a grenade was lobbed, sans pin, and yet failed to go off. Certainly such things can happen, but I guess it strikes me as unlikely.
I eagerly look forward to learning more about this event.
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### Author:  [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/5 "2005-05-11T14:16:02Z")
I wonder if they knew it was a dud and they were just trying to make a statement.
A statement about things being duds.
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### Author:  [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/6 "2005-05-11T14:41:13Z")
I submitted this story to Fark last night (didn’t get greenlit), with the headline:
“Grenade thrown near Dubya in Georgia fails to explode; unknown if dummy or dud. The grenade, I mean.”
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### Author:  [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/7 "2005-05-11T14:52:22Z")
Christ, just what we need : one more reason for Bush to think he is God’s personal envoy.
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### Author:  [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)
#### Post date: [May 11, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/8 "2005-05-11T17:18:06Z")
Oh, that poor Archduke Ferdina -
What?
Who?
oh. :smack:
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/9 "2005-05-12T00:39:49Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> Why (please God if you exist) why didn’t it go off!
I blame your lack of faith for this. I voted, I did my bit. Had you only prayed properly…it still wouldn’t have mattered. I’m onto George III: he choreographed this thing to provide further evidence that he is God’s personal envoy. Even if it had gone off, 100 feet is too far away to do more than ring his bell.
What would REALLY be funny is if some nondenominational religious zealot ran up on the stage screaming the praises of his own cause while furiously punching the “go” button on his Dupont Bodybomb detonator, only to find out IT was a dud.
heh heh…that’d be cool.
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### Author:  [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/10 "2005-05-12T02:18:01Z")
What’d really be cool is if he picked it up, pulled the pin, and threw it back.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/11 "2005-05-12T02:46:22Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> but this would be something exciting to see on Sky News in the morning)
Dick Cheney. :eek:
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/12 "2005-05-12T02:48:47Z")
> [@Daithi Lacha](#):
>
> Oh, that poor Archduke Ferdina -
Did not the bomb miss and Gavrillo Princeps shoot them when the driver took a wrong turn?
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### Author:  [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/13 "2005-05-12T03:07:02Z")
Apparently it’s really easy to mess up explosives, and cheap black market stuff is probably not the best thing to be using.
Even Tyler Durden knows that.
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### Author:  [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)
#### Post date: [May 12, 2005, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grenade-lobbed-at-bush/303303/14 "2005-05-12T12:02:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> Did not the bomb miss and Gavrillo Princeps shoot them when the driver took a wrong turn?
I was really thinking more of the action of a non-effective grenade being tossed. Historical accuracy isn’t my forte… ☹