# Was Bush's turkey fake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707 "2003-12-08T06:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/21 "2003-12-09T06:44:47Z")
Bush is not a hero for going to Iraq. Bush is not a fraud because he held up a decorative turkey. Clearly this is a storm in a teacup. ---
**Author:** ![myles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@myles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myles)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/22 "2003-12-09T06:50:50Z")
I mean come on. All those people who think that this was a staged PR stunt. If they had actually put any amount of foresight into this, do you think they would have made such an obvious blunder as to have the president purposefully hold an inedible turkey? I mean come on, they may be evil megalomaniacs:-) but his advisors arent THAT stupid. The very fact that the turkey was prime game for the reporters makes me tend to believe that it was a pre-staged PR stunt. Apart from the fact that the whole trip was partly for political election purposes, as almost ALL actions presidents take are. ---
**Author:** ![myles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@myles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myles)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/23 "2003-12-09T06:51:54Z")
Sorry, the above should be: wasn’t a pre-staged PR stunt. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/24 "2003-12-09T12:40:11Z")
> [@](#): > > I mean come on, they may be evil megalomaniacs:-) but his advisors arent THAT stupid. That’s debatable 🙂 And talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. The whole trip was just a PR stunt. I really don’t see why anyone is getting upset about this. (BTW: I meant “close to fake” in the sense that it is a showpiece. A “real turkey” would be one that was intended to be carved up and eaten.) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/25 "2003-12-09T12:48:27Z")
Photo Ops were invented ten minutes after the first picture was developed. This administration has taken PR and Photo Ops to a new level, no doubt, but this is NOTHING new. ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/26 "2003-12-09T13:01:13Z")
It was a stunt turkey. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/27 "2003-12-09T13:30:53Z")
It’s no big deal. Nearly every wartime president in recent decades has visited the troops, and often at holiday time. All military food service in this war has been handled by the caterers of Halliburton, and this dinner was no exception. The US Army has its own fine culinary school, but this administration is privatizing government functions when it’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/28 "2003-12-09T22:03:31Z")
**Flowbark** : you want a cite? Try reading the rest of this thread and what everyone who is saying the exact same stuff I’m saying writes. Here, I’ll even quote it for you: > [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by rowrrbazzle \* \*\*From the Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...anguage=printer](http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/w...anguage=printer) (my emphasis) quote: > > ## 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. > > \*\* There’s your cite. I didn’t feel like looking it up at the time, but I knew someone would be along with a good link to the real story. **Rowrrbazzle** happened to be that someone, and happens to have a name that’s nearly impossible to type correctly the first time. Besides, it’s obvious that the turkey in question is not meant to be eaten - it’s pining for the fjords. It’s knackered from an extended squawk. Lovely plumage. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707/29 "2003-12-09T22:07:20Z")
The Norwegian Blue prefers kipping on its back. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-bushs-turkey-fake/217707.md?page=1)