King of photo op

Hobbes

Originally posted by TomF

Isn't the Internet wonderful? It lets us remember what people said and months later when we learn that what they said was incorrect we can call up those memories and examine them in light of the facts.

Yea, just like those weapons of mass destruction. Which would you rather be wrong about? A real turkey or a lie to invade another country?

Also can you quote more sources, or where they got the details from. The reason I ask is a number of newspapers reported the story, yet only one is saying it is incorrect?

Also it wasn't nytimes that broke the story. It was the Washinton post.

The newspaper reported that in response to questions about the bird, the White House said the turkey was a decoration adorning the steam table where GIs picked up their food on cafeteria-style trays.

Shown here. Picture from Whitehouse (but where is the turkey!)


The White House said the bird had been furnished by a contractor, and that officials had no idea that the turkey would be in the mess hall, or that the president would pick up the trophy turkey.

The Post quoted military sources as saying that a decorative turkey was a standard feature of holiday chow lines.

Lastly they can't post a correction for what was fact..

From the story.

. (The public relations bonanza fizzled after the press reported that Mr. Bush had posed with a mouth-watering - but fake - turkey.)

It may of been real, but the reporter is stating that others had reported it false which had caused it to backfire. It might well of been real but the story they are claiming a correction on is actually correct to begin with.

.. But if you can find the actuall story where it was mentioned the Turkey was real, feel free to post it.

Victor

I'm not re-reading everything, but wasn't the real issue that pretty much everyone was few "reconstituted" *not* fresh turkey and that Bush actually served the potatoes, not turkey.

And the fact that Bush's security teams endangered soldiers by not letting them leave before dark.

TomF

I hope this is good-enough for everyone. I think the point is that Bush actually flew into a war zone, a fairly rare event, and had Thanksgiving dinner with a bunch of soldiers. Yes, there was a wait, both before and after, because security precautions had to be extraordinary, but the dinner was real, and I think Bush reacted emotionally to being in the presence of those troops and he delighted himself and the soldiers when he grabbed the tray with the real roasted turkey and displayed it. He seems to me to be a genuine human being and I think all the sniping about "fake turkey" has just backfired in a very telling way on those who wanted so desperately to make him seem like a publicity-seeking goon.

"Officials said they did not know the turkey would be there or that Bush would pick it up. A contractor had roasted and primped the turkey to adorn the buffet line, while the 600 soldiers were served from cafeteria-style steam trays, the officials said. They said the bird was not placed there in anticipation of Bush's stealthy visit, and military sources said a trophy turkey is a standard feature of holiday chow lines."

The Bird Was Perfect But Not For Dinner
In Iraq Picture, Bush Is Holding the Centerpiece

By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 4, 2003; Page A33
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A33090-2003Dec3

Sparks

Originally posted by TomF
He seems to me to be a genuine human being

As opposed to a green lizard?

Hobbes

Originally posted by Victor
I'm not re-reading everything, but wasn't the real issue that pretty much everyone was few "reconstituted" *not* fresh turkey and that Bush actually served the potatoes, not turkey.

And the fact that Bush's security teams endangered soldiers by not letting them leave before dark.

Indeed, and the best they can come up with the bird wasn't fake.. but then it wasn't edible either, it was only for show so is that not the same thing?

desperately to make him seem like a publicity-seeking goon.

Make him? "Mission Accomplished" ???

Btw, you just quoted what I had said to begin with. The Turkey was a decoration.

TomF

Well, lads, as Will Rogers is said to have said, "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." (That one was quoted with good effect against me!) He also is said to have said "Always drink upstream from the herd." Herd-think got you into this hole and you will have to stop back-pedalling or trying to change the subject sooner or later and just fall silent and accept that the turkey wasn't fake.

The turkey was real, and it was edible although meant as a feast for the eyes. Can you imagine the hysteria among the Bush-haters if that turkey had been roasted especially for the surprise guest-of-honour, and if the soldiers in attendance had only been served the sliced stuff from the chow line? As it was, their commander-in-chief went through the line and even helped serve.

Sparks

Tell you what TomF. I'll step up to the plate, and eat all the crow you want regarding the status of the turkey.

All you need do in return is bring the 10,000 dead innocent Iraqi civilians back to life and say "whoops, sorry 'bout that, turns out you really didn't have weapons of mass destruction and weren't really helping Al Quaeda and weren't really a threat to the western states....

Hobbes

The Turkey was not edible. from the same story you posted.

administration officials said yesterday that Bush picked up a decoration, not a serving plate.

The soliders in attendance had only been served sliced stuff from the steam trays.

Is this going to be Bushes new rallying cry "OMG After everything that has happened, at least the fuking turkey was real you bitches". :rolleyes:

TomF

There you go again. Sigh.

bonkey

Originally posted by TomF
I think the point is that Bush actually flew into a war zone,

And if he hadn't been telling the world and its auntie prior to that visit about how the major hostilities were over, and how the reports of the violence were greatly exaggerated etc. etc. etc. this would be worth something.

Sure, in hindsight we know that they were either lying or just plain wrong about how bad things weren't, but at the time, we were led to believe that :

a) Iraq, especially around where US army was in strength, was nowhere near as wild as teh media would lead us to believe
and
b) How brave Bush was going into this not-very-wild-at-all-really place because, hey, it was wild and dangerous.

He seems to me to be a genuine human being and I think all the sniping about "fake turkey" has just backfired in a very telling way on those who wanted so desperately to make him seem like a publicity-seeking goon.

Yes, it backfired so much that 7 moths after the critics of the event completly dropping it as just another embarrassment during the Madness of King George, his supporters need to drag it back up and discuss it all over again because its so important.

Clearly the incident was insignificant. It should be relegated to the list of all those other insignificant things that are so forgettable that they too are worth comment after 7 months of silence.

jc