Even A Flying Shoe Won't Stop Hillary

Hillary Clinton takes criticism in stride, and flying footwear from protesters is no exception. Clinton dodged an hurtling object on a Las Vegas stage Thursday, after a woman threw a shoe at Hillary during a keynote speech at an Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries meeting. After the mini-scare, the former Secretary of State joked about the incident as the suspect was taken into federal custody.

"Was that a bat?" Clinton asked the crowd after flinching and ducking. Luckily, the flying object missed her, but it didn't stop Clinton from making light of the situation. As the Associated Press reports, she joked, "Is that somebody throwing something at me? Is that part of Cirque de Soleil?"

Though startled, audience members at the Mandalay Bay resort laughed at her quips as she continued, "My goodness, I didn’t know that solid waste management was so controversial. Good thing she didn’t play softball like I did.” You tell 'em, H-Rod. We bet she throws a mean pitch.

A spokesman for the recycling institute said the woman didn't have credentials for the event, nor was she affiliated with the organization. Mark Carpenter told USA Today the woman was denied access before she rushed past security and threw the shoe. A black and orange shoe was later found on stage, according to a U.S. Secret Service supervisory special agent.

One attendee seated in the second row told the AP she saw the object fly through the air as well as papers fluttering around. Ilene Rosen said that following the incident, the woman turned around, put her hands up in air, then walked to the back of the ballroom where security caught up with her. She was wearing sandals on both her feet upon removal from the room, so it's likely she brought an extra shoe to hurl at Clinton.

Later, an audience member handed a reporter a piece of paper believed to have been thrown by the woman. It reportedly looked like a copy of a Department of Defense document dated from 1967, was labeled confidential and referred to an operation "Cynthia" in Bolivia.

The incident harks back to the tenure of George W. Bush, when the 43rd President dodged two shoes thrown by an Iraqi journalist during a news conference in Baghdad.

However, Thursday's event isn't the first time the former First Lady has been attacked by footwear. During a 2012 trip to Egypt, protesters lobbed tomatoes and shoes at Clinton's motorcade while chanting "Monica, Monica," and "leave, Clinton."