The reputation of White House spin doctors for obsessively manipulating President George W Bush's image came under the spotlight again yesterday when it emerged that the turkey he appeared to be serving to troops in Baghdad was not for eating.
(AP photo)The homely photograph of a smiling Mr Bush apparently proffering a platter with a huge, succulent turkey to American soldiers on Thanksgiving has been widely seen as one of the key images of his presidency.
[...]
But yesterday it emerged that the Bush turkey, images of which were published round the world, had been a "model" adorning the end of the buffet line and that soldiers were served their meals from cafeteria steam-trays.
[...]
The incident highlights the obsession of this White House with form over substance, and its reputation as the most image-conscious in American history. (via the Telegraph)
Not only that! But the turkey AND the real Thanksgiving "buffet" for the soldiers was provided to them by no other than...a subsidiary of Halliburton who has key contracts in Iraq thanks to ex-CEO Dick Cheney. Think the cost of that little feast may show back up as a charge to the US on an invoice from Kellogg Brown & Root (Halliburton subsidiary) to the US Gov at some point? Speaking as an ex-consultant, oh yeah. Thank you to "Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!", the media review show on NPR for that interesting tidbit. The show was aired the weekend of Dec. 5th & 6th and the story begins about 29 minutes in. (Though the interview with Madeline Albright is a hoot too.)
http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait/
Posted by: jmo on December 8, 2003 10:38 AM
