I’ve hesitated to wade into the discussion about Bush’s surprise two-hour trip to Baghdad on Thanksgiving because I don’t think I have much to add to the subject. I have to give the White House at least some credit — they’re excellent at political theater.<\/p>\n
Of course, theatrical productions sometimes need good props. Bush’s trip was apparently no exception.<\/p>\n
By now we’ve all seen the picture<\/a> of the president holding a picture-perfect Thanksgiving platter in Baghdad with a golden-brown turkey that, one assumed, was part of the meal for the appreciative troops.<\/p>\n But as the Washington Post’s Mike Allen discovered<\/a>, “Bush’s Baghdad turkey was for looking, not for eating.” <\/p>\n “[A]dministration officials said yesterday that Bush picked up a decoration, not a serving plate,” the Post article explained.<\/p>\n It was a real turkey, but like so much of the White House’s political operations, it was just there for show. That said, Turkeygate is part of a disturbing trend for this administration. Karl Rove and his underlings are so interested in political theater and how images will appear in the media that they’ve grown carelessly indifferent to actual substance. Every event is another opportunity for manipulation.<\/p>\n * Earlier this year, Bush delivered a speech in St. Louis to tout his third tax cut plan. To help dramatize the backdrop, staffers created a wall of cardboard boxes, presumably as a sign of American trade and manufacturing. Indeed, the White House had positioned a huge banner behind the podium that read, “Made in the USA.” The problem was hundreds of these boxes had been labeled “Made in China.” No problem, the White House said, we’ll just tape over the actual source<\/a> so the boxes will look better on TV. (via Kicking Ass<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n
\nTo be sure, this story isn’t stop-the-presses material. The Post was so impressed by Mike Allen’s scoop that they deemed it worthy of page A33. No one’s likely to demand an independent investigation of this charade and it hardly rises to the level of having White House officials illegally leaking the name of a covert CIA operative.<\/p>\n