# Bush to Baghdad troops: "Here's a nice turkey for you to look at." **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 4, 2003, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979 "2003-12-04T17:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/81 "2003-12-06T19:00:44Z")
(in a de sotto turkey voice, with full plummage) “I’m ready for my close-up, Mr. DeBush”. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/82 "2003-12-06T21:15:12Z")
All of these posts, all this time and no one…not _one_ of you posted an apallingly bad pun centered around “fowl”. I’m really proud of you all! ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/83 "2003-12-06T21:24:33Z")
Pshaw! A fowl pun wouldn’t’ve been quite fair. What kind of turkeys do you take us for, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/84 "2003-12-06T21:26:41Z")
I knew that if I did, I’d wouldn’t be able to duck, and then my goose would be cooked. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/85 "2003-12-06T22:16:08Z")
Saved the breast for last. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/86 "2003-12-06T22:34:19Z")
And you’ll be the master of cerimonies at the Roasting, too, stuffing yourself. Will you need help dressing yourself in the tuxedo? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/87 "2003-12-06T22:53:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Well, duh. You can or can’t have appreciation for something no matter what the consequences are. That is, you either have appreciation or you do not. So you really aren’t saying anything here, other than that either condition can exist. What _I’m_ saying is that I wouldn’t be surprised if there were plenty of soldiers over there who aren’t appreciative of this at all, who see this as a mere political ploy, who resent that they’re being used in such a heavy-handed manner. \*\* Well, here’s a pointer to an email purportedly from a soldier in Iraq who was at the dinner and reports that the response was spontaneous and positive. [http://www.freedomofthought.com/archives/000566.html](http://www.freedomofthought.com/archives/000566.html). Feel free to argue (as I know some of you will) that the email was probably written by some PR flack in the Pentagon or the product of some forced mailing campaign in Iraq. Reads fairly authentic to me (but then again, I’m just a gullible tool of the Administration.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/88 "2003-12-06T23:38:11Z")
[Fixed Link](http://www.freedomofthought.com/archives/000566.html) (You had an extra . at the end) ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/89 "2003-12-07T00:54:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flowbark \* > 2) I can’t believe I’ve pulled myself into this barely relevant Shmooz Story. Ok, flowbark, but you are ignoring certain elements. Iconic photographic images are powerful memes. Examples: The image of PLO terrorists wandering around the athlete’s hotel during the 1972 Olympics with automatic weaponry, well let’s just say I noticed that. Furthermore, when I think of Yasar Arafat, the photo of him smiling and waving a machine gun above his head comes to mind. These images color my perception of the PLO. “W with Thanksgiving turkey” was a fairly memorable image. To counter it, it is useful to point out the degree of fabrication involved. In other words, intrinsically irrational memes based on pure imagry are best addressed with counter-memes. So no, this is no scandal: it is merely a way of addressing a PR expedition. (By the way, what _was_ the President doing with that faux turkey anyway? It didn’t look like a typical static pose to me.) **Finagle** With all due respect, while I trust that the 600 soldiers who saw the President on Thanksgiving enjoyed the visit, there are also about 100,000+ other US soldiers to consider as well as several million Iraqi civs. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/90 "2003-12-07T01:09:45Z")
Still there were merits to the Thanksgiving visit. GWB is a political performer with unusually narrow range. For example, he finds it difficult to deliver press conferances of the informative variety. There had been some degree of disappointment in the country that W had not attended the funerals of any US soldiers or met with the growing numbers of wounded. (I understand that modern warfare apparently has a larger ratio of wounded to dead, due to advances in medical technology.) This Thanksgiving visit provided an opportunity to acknowledge the sacrifices made by our troops and reservists, in addition to being a handy campaign photo op. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/91 "2003-12-07T02:03:37Z")
It’s only memorable in very limited way. When the election comes around, I don’t know how many people will have the prez-with-turkey image still in their heads, readily retrievable. I kind of think there’ll be much more important images to deal with by then that’ll push this one out of the consciousness. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/92 "2003-12-07T02:55:39Z")
**Dan** : Ya, this certainly isn’t [the flag raising at Iwo Jima](http://www.iwojima.com/). Still, it’s unusual to see a smiling Prez dressed in military uniform. And these pics are potentially decent fodder for any upcoming Republican ad campaign. So a counter-meme strategy is a sound defense for both Democrats and nonpartisan analysts. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/93 "2003-12-07T02:58:35Z")
It is, but only on the same level as the _Lincoln_ issue. This is much ado about nuttin’. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/94 "2003-12-07T03:03:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flowbark \* > \*\*… For example, he finds it difficult to deliver press conferances of the informative variety… \*\* “…and for this years SDMB Thundering Understatement of the Year Award, the nominees are…” ---
**Author:** ![caligynephobia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7feea3/32.png) [@caligynephobia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligynephobia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/95 "2003-12-07T03:35:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jurph \* > \*\* Solution? Buy a low-end, cheap, small turkey, garnish it with a bunch of stale vegetables, primp it until it’s beautiful, and place it next to the steam tray with turkey meat. It’s the same as the photo on the TV dinner box–they never come out looking like that! > \*\* Different location, same region - we walked past a decorative table with four of these turkeys as we entered the chow hall. Beautifully cooked, but cold and for display only. What we ate was akin to . . . turkey loaf, if there is such a thing. Oh well, this is govt chow - it didn’t look like turkey cut from a turkey but tasted fine. Most dudes were just amused they wasted four REAL turkeys for decoration. caligynephobia (just happy they’re letting me read SD out here!) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/96 "2003-12-07T23:17:09Z")
While all the nattering naybobs of negativity are getting their panties in a bunch over TurkeyGate, perhaps y’all would like to read what an actual soldier who was there thought about the whole thing: [First Hand Report on President Bush’s Visit to Iraq on Thanksgiving Day](http://www.strategypage.com/respect/articles/20031204.asp) Like I said - you guys just don’t get it, and until you do, the Republicans are going to have a stranglehold on the military vote. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/97 "2003-12-07T23:44:15Z")
When the alternative is “say something negative and get busted,” what other result would you expect? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/98 "2003-12-07T23:55:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flowbark \* > Like a TV docudrama, these stories serve a higher truth about W: _he cares!_. It is now confirmed: post-modernists have taken over the White House. This seems unlike any other recent presidency where the POTUS got facetime in the newsmedia to convey certain facets of himself … how? Especially during A) a holiday, B) wartime and C) coming up on election campaigning. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/99 "2003-12-08T00:16:31Z")
Oh, dear God, **Sam** is chanelling Agnew. The horror, the horror. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979/100 "2003-12-08T01:51:30Z")
And don’t you just love his way of finding one cite that contradicts whatever the great mass of information says but just happens to tell him what he wants to hear, then laughing at _us_ for not “getting it”? It’s like you’re talking to a mirror, **Sam**. Now it’s high time you got something right about Iraq for once, isn’t it? You might start with actually paying attention to what you’re told on this board. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bush-to-baghdad-troops-heres-a-nice-turkey-for-you-to-look-at/216979.md?page=6)