Apparently, a bunch of credible newspapers pumped the plastic-bird story because of the Washington Post title by Mike Allen (who was on the trip with Bush) "
Bird Was Perfect, But Not for Dinner":
Wash-Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp...33090-2003Dec3
At least a few other major papers ran with it:
Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/dec/06/usa.comment
SeattleTimes:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...hturkey04.html
Later, the Washington Post issued a clarification - as I am now doing. Must have been my liberal, anti-Bush bias clouding my judgement and research. The point was about Dubya using the military as props for PR - plastic turkey or real "adornment prepped by a contractor", my claim remains that our troops were used as PR props for getting that all important photo... for those of you who got all in a twist about plastic or real. There's plenty of other military prop examples but I sense that most of you are not interested.
As for my anti-Dubya bias, he is:
...the same president who warned Americans of a potential Saddam-sent mushroom cloud over the United States – at a time when U.S. intelligence said Saddam had no nuclear weapons and his airspace was controlled by the U.S. Air Force and he had no long range bombers; the same president who linked Saddam and Al Qada – when in fact they were closer to enemies; and the same president who proclaimed “The United States does not torture” when the world has seen photographs of U.S. soldiers engaged in prisoner abuse and while his Vice President was lobbying Congress to make sure the CIA was not prevented from using torture.
--Kevin Zeese
Anyone got a problem with those claims? I'm sure some of you will.
I tend to be biased about a president who diverts a war of necessity waged against those who actually attacked us (Afghanistan/Taliban/Qada/Bin Laden) for a war of choice (Iraq) for which the invasion exhibited more "shock and awe" than planning. For those of you who might put anti-military words in my mouth....that claim takes nothing away from the troops who are tasked with executing those orders and continue to do so professionally and honorably. Hell... in 2003, I probably would have been cheering Dubya in that mess hall as well - believing what we were told then. But with the passing of years and hindsight, one starts to thread together facts and events until one understands that the justification, may not have been as it was sold. Like so many Vietnam-era vets, I get resentful about how our political leaders wasted the youth, ideals and lives of our generation. I'm hopeful that today's troops will be spared that legacy in coming years. And if they get the respect they deserve, it is at least in part, because Vietnam veterans forced their own ugly homecoming experience into the American public's face.
Yeah, I'm surely a cynic when it comes to politicians that betray American trust when it comes to war. "Barry" after a year seems to be putting the priorities (from my perspective) back where they belong with the Afghan surge, more drone strikes, capture of Taliban leader and (you guys will really hate this) Hillary Clinton doing the hard work of diplomacy to get cooperation with Pakistan's intelligence to make that possible. Although, I doubt if anyone on this forum would agree.
Arguing about whether a turkey was plastic or not? That's the bullshit least of it...but have it your way.