I couldn't find the related thread regarding what a nice thing it was for Bush to visit the troops in Baghdad, and how nice it was that Hillary Clinton had been spending several days with the troops in Afghanistan, but I ran into this little tidbit by Michael Moore:
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Turkeys on the Moon... from Michael Moore
December 8, 2003
Dear Mr. Bush,
Well, it's going on two weeks now since your surprise visit to one of the
two countries you now run and, I have to say, I'm still warmed by the
gesture. Man, take me along next time! I understand only 13 members of the
media went with you -- and it turns out only ONE of them was an actual
reporter for a newspaper. But you did take along FIVE photographers (hey, I
get it, screw the words, it's all about the pictures!), a couple wire
service guys, and a crew from the Fox News Channel (fair and balanced!).
Then, I read in the paper this weekend that that big turkey you were holding
in Baghdad (you know, the picture that's supposed to replace the
now-embarrassing footage of you on that aircraft carrier with the sign
"Mission Accomplished") -- well, it turns out that big, beautiful turkey of
yours was never eaten by the troops! It wasn't eaten by anyone! That's
because it wasn't real! It was a STUNT turkey, brought in to look like a
real edible turkey for all those great camera angles.
Now I know some people will say you are into props (like the one in the
lower extremities of your flyboy suit), but hey, I get it, this is theater!
So what if it was a bogus turkey? The whole trip was bogus, all staged to
look like "news." The fake honey glaze on that bird wasn't much different
from the fake honey glaze that covers this war. And the fake stuffing in the
fake bird was just the right symbol for our country during these times.
America loves fake honey glaze, it loves to be stuffed, and, dammit, YOU
knew that -- that's what makes you so in touch with the people you lead!
It was also a good idea that you made the "press" on that trip to Baghdad
pull the shades down on the plane. No one in the media entourage complained.
They like the shades pulled and they like to be kept in the dark. It's more
fun that way. And, when you made them take the batteries out of their cell
phones so they wouldn't be able to call anyone, and they dutifully
complied -- that was genius! I think if you had told them to put their hands
on their heads and touch their noses with their tongues, they would have
done that, too! That's how much they like you. You could have played "Simon
Says" the whole way over there. It wouldn't have been that much different
from "Karl Says," a game they LOVE to play every day with Mr. Rove.
Well, if you're planning any surprises for Christmas, don't forget to
include me. When I heard last week that you wanted to send a man back to the
moon, I thought, get the fake goose ready -- that's where ol' George is
going for the holidays! I don't blame you, what with nearly 3 million jobs
disappeared, and a $281 billion surplus disappeared, and the USA stuck in a
war that will never end -- who wouldn't want to go to the moon! This time,
take ALL the media with you! Embed them on the moon! They'll love it there!
It looks just like Crawford! You can golf on the moon, too. You'll have so
much fun up there, you might not want to come back. Better take Cheney with
you, too. Pretend it's a medical experiment or something. "That's one small
step for man, one giant leap for every American who's sick and tired of all
this crap."
Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com
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Well, we all will agree (yes?) that M. Moore's reputation for impartial journalism has been somewhat sullied over the years, so I did a little checking . . .
. . . and it seems that yes indeed, the turkey Bush held for all the cameras to take was a fake. It sure did make for a great picture, though. Check out
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_844321.html?menu=
or do your own yahoo search on the words "turkey bush fake" and see what you get.
I didn't bother to check any of the other stuff Mr Moore brought up in his letter, but it kinda makes me wonder about a few things I won't go into here . . . but I kinda get the feeling now that, for him, the whole thing was more for his re-election campaign than for the troops. Hillary's trip was probably done for similar reasons . . . but what troubles me the most, is how none of the usual media have called him on it. I get nervous when the most powerful guy in the world does stuff and the major journalists don't talk about it . . . it's almost like they're afraid of not getting invited to the next show-and-tell if they write something the President's handlers don't like . . .
Oh well, I thought it was curious, and not having any nekkid women's titties to post, this is gonna be the best I can do . . .
--Tock
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Originally Posted by mfenske
and the others were all from the wire services - if the had all been newsies, then moore would have wondered why no pics - but probably more wire photogs on thxgiving in TX than newsies - sinece no one thought that there would be news to report, maybe just a few nice bush family pics - im sure the fact that a reporter from Bloomberg news was also only there because Bloomberg is now a republican mayor in NYC - such idiocy 
Ha. How could Clinton unilaterrally cut back the military, which he didn't, without the aproval of the Republican legistature who as you point out had control. Bush has not added one soldier since taking office. In fact if you have any friends or family, I have 2 nephews in the 82nd Airborne, one in Mosul, you would know these guys are demoralized and aren't reenlisting. I would imagine a manpower shortage and reinstitution of the draft if there is a GW part II in the Whitehouse in 2005.
