{"article":{"id":95741,"heading":"Bush... the BIG TURKEY visits Iraq!","author":"gobble gobble","created":"2003-11-28 19:29:02","modified":"2005-08-15 01:48:36","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 08:48:36","article":"

Extraordinary measures taken to get Bush to Iraq

11\/27\/2003 By: News 9 San Antonio Staff

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Not many people knew about President Bush's trip to Iraq on Thanksgiving -- and that's just the way the White House wanted it.

Word of his visit wasn't released until after Bush was already in the air heading home. On the way there, a White House spokesman told reporters that if word of the trip was leaked, Air Force One would turn around and go home. Bush left his Texas ranch Wednesday in an unmarked vehicle, and later stepped into Air Force One using the back stairs, instead of the front.

The jet stopped at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to pick up some aides and reporters. Other journalists had traveled with him from Texas, and all were sworn to secrecy.

Air Force One landed at Baghdad International Airport with its lights off and windows closed.

First lady Laura Bush only found out about the trip earlier this week.

The president's parents weren't told -- even though they were invited to the Texas ranch for the family dinner.<\/p>\n","contact":"","link":"","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","summary":"Resident Bush grunts to U.S. occupation soldiers after secretly travelling to Baghdad to pay a surprise Thanksgiving Day visit. The actual reason for the Commando in Chief's trip was an attempt to illustrate that the U.S. is in complete control of the Arab nation. In an elaborate plan to ensure his security, Bush slipped away from his Texas ranch on Wednesday night, arrived in occupied Iraq on Thursday and spent only 2-1\/2 hours with the troops. Word of Bush's visit wasn't released until after he was already in the air returning home. Photo by Reuters.\r\n","numcomment":16,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2003\/11\/turkeys.jpg","filesize":"19.9 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2003\/11\/95741.php","image":{"original":"\/uploads\/2003\/11\/turkeys.jpg","small":"\/uploads\/2003\/11\/turkeys.jpgthumb.jpg"}},"attachments":[],"comments":[{"id":95742,"heading":"OneEyedMan","article":"I'm confused...\r\n\r\n...which one is the turkey?","author":"KPC","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-28 19:35:18","modified":"2003-11-28 19:35:18","fileurl":""},{"id":95747,"heading":"Notice there are two birds in the photo","article":"Actually, I think there are two birds in that photograph: a chicken and a turkey.\r\n\r\nIsn't the chicken the one that has its mouth open and looks incredibly stupid?","author":"Twix","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-28 20:37:18","modified":"2003-11-28 20:37:18","fileurl":""},{"id":95750,"heading":"A totally reckless and irresponsible act","article":"A totally reckless and irresponsible act for a commander in chief to make. It dosn't matter if your for the war or against it, this was just plain stupid.\r\n\r\nIt does matter if you like Bush or not , for a president to endanger himself in this manner is foolish. All for a photo op.\r\n\r\nKarl Rove and all those people who helped him do this are out of their minds.","author":"x","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-28 23:50:43","modified":"2003-11-28 23:50:43","fileurl":""},{"id":95751,"heading":"Did he really go there?","article":"Can we really believe anything they tell us?\r\nThis could be another lie. They could have sent a double. They could have flown Bush and the press anywhere and had troops waiting for them. It could have been all staged. I would'nt put it past them. It was all done in secret then we only hear what they tell us. The story needs to be verified and cross checked with relatives of the troops , if any , in Iraq.","author":"M","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 00:13:02","modified":"2003-11-29 00:13:02","fileurl":""},{"id":95752,"heading":"That's a Great Man","article":"I think it is absolutly awsome that our Commander in Chief would risk his own personal security to visit our brave fighting men a women in the war zone on this Thankgiving Day. I could not imagine any of the whiney leftist scum having enough balls to do what this President did. He truely is a great and brave leader for our troops and his dedication to the future of a free and democratic Iraq is unwavering. ","author":"Josh","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 01:18:44","modified":"2003-11-29 01:18:44","fileurl":""},{"id":95753,"heading":"Re-Election Photo Op","article":"Let's get this clear and straight; there was one and only one reason that the Deserter-in-Chief went to Iraq: It was a Government Paid Photo Op for his re-selection campaign. He could give a shit about the Troops. He has already proven that by cutting pay, benefits, leaving injured Troops waiting for medical care for months in substandard living conditions, cutting death benefits to families of dead Soldiers, and cutting support for their dependents.\r\n\r\nYou can expect to see photos of this little junket right next to those of "Top Gun" Bush and the "Mission Accomplished" Banner that just magically appeared. If he had any real Balls he would have toured the entire "controlled" area of the Country he has helped to devastate.\r\n\r\nDon't let him get away with it. Shout it from the rooftops, make flyers, point out the hypocrisy at the top of your voice at every opportunity.","author":"Tired of the Bullshit","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 01:26:43","modified":"2003-11-29 01:26:43","fileurl":""},{"id":95756,"heading":"Hee hee!","article":"I knew you putzes would have a cow over this.\r\n\r\nFace it: Bush is a good president, and the vast majority of the military love him. Even more so today after his holiday meal with the troops. \r\n\r\nCan you imagine one of the Demville Nine doing something like this? No, because you don't have reason to visit your troops if you're appeasing the people who want to kill you.","author":"nonanarchist2149","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 02:57:41","modified":"2003-11-29 02:57:41","fileurl":""},{"id":95758,"heading":"Your Hysteria is showing","article":"Like the "Top Gun" Photo Op this one is destined to fall flat on it's face. People are beginning to wise up. A Deserter dropping in for dinner is NOT an honor merely a nuisance.\r\n\r\nHmmm - let's see - the Demville 9 as you put let's see oh yeah I know what I was going to Point out - John Kerry Congressional Medal of Honor. How many awards for Heroism did you say the Deserter-in-Chief Had?\r\n\r\nOne could also point out that the total number of Democrats in Congress who have actually worn a Uniform outnumbers Republicans by over 2 to 1. Shall we talk about who actually "Walked the Walk"?\r\n\r\nHow about Dick, "I had other priorities", Cheney?\r\n\r\nPerhaps Rush "I got a Pimple on my Butt" and a "Monkey on my Back" Lumbago?\r\n\r\nMilitary retention numbers are in the toilet. People are voting with their feet. Congress is talking about reinstituting the Draft in order to keep the services at minimum strength. I don't suppose anyone Bush Knows will be drafted. Funny how that works.\r\n\r\nEven Army Times has pointed out how Bush is screwing the Troops. Love him? I don't think so.\r\n\r\nAs usual all you have is ummm, well, uh, nothing.\r\n\r\nYou make the ridiculous assertion that Military People "Love" Georgie. Based on what? Your opinion? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Lot's of weight there.","author":"Sgt. Bilko","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 04:11:21","modified":"2003-11-29 04:11:21","fileurl":""},{"id":95759,"heading":"This is great!!!","article":"The more I see of Dubya the more I like him! I voted for Gore last time, I thought the Bush ticket was pure nepotism but boy, did I get that wrong! Gore would have been a disaster when faced with 9\/11 whereas Dubya has done everything right. He get's my vote next time for sure.\r\n\r\nI met a guy from Texas the other day who knew Dubya years ago. He says he saw Dubya go into to water up to his chest to rescue people in a flood and he had nothing but good to say about Dubya, although he had some reservations about some of his advisers.\r\n\r\n This will be a great tonic for our brave troops who are putting their lives on the line so that even the kind of people who run this site are FREE to express thier nauseating views. Of course, we could also pretend that it never happened, how many journalists could be forced to lie this big??? \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"New Bush fan!!","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 06:05:54","modified":"2003-11-29 06:05:54","fileurl":""},{"id":95761,"heading":"Speaking of Nauseating","article":"Note the above nincompoop. Talk about amateurish put downs. Go back to the Minors Kid.","author":"A Veteran","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 07:01:54","modified":"2003-11-29 07:01:54","fileurl":""},{"id":95781,"heading":"John Kerry?","article":"You mean the guy who threw his medals over the fence in protest at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?\r\n\r\nAnd then, mysteriously, years later, they show up on his office wall in D.C?\r\n\r\nThe guy who has his middle name legally changed to "I served in Vietnam"?\r\n\r\nYeah...like HE'S got a chance...\r\n\r\nSave it, Bilko. Save it for the libbies who hate the military as much as you do.","author":"nonanarchist0832","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 13:39:35","modified":"2003-11-29 13:39:35","fileurl":""},{"id":95788,"heading":"A conspiracy","article":""Can we really believe anything they tell us? \r\nThis could be another lie. They could have sent a double. They could have flown Bush and the press anywhere and had troops waiting for them. It could have been all staged. I would'nt put it past them. It was all done in secret then we only hear what they tell us. The story needs to be verified and cross checked with relatives of the troops , if any , in Iraq."\r\n\r\nExactly. It was probably staged at the same hangar where the 9\/11 jets are being hidden (you know, the ones they replaced with the remote controlled planes). We'll wait to see what Mike Ruppert says about it.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n","author":"Larry","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 17:31:28","modified":"2003-11-29 17:31:28","fileurl":""},{"id":95789,"heading":"This Just In","article":"From Rush Limbaughtomy.com\r\n\r\nNov 28, 2003 ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - Three hours from landing on a high-risk visit to Baghdad,*** President Bush was most anxious about keeping it a secret. "I was fully prepared to turn this baby around, come home," Bush said later aboard Air Force One. The world did not learn that Bush had spent 2 1\/2 hours in the Baghdad Airport Military Compound until his jumbo jet was again in the air, flying back to the United States\r\nAs the president was sneaking into a mess hall in a heavily guarded airport military compound, newscasters back home were reporting that he was enjoying Thanksgiving dinner with his family at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. That was what reporters had been told by White House officials. \r\nBush said he thought Americans would be understanding about the deception and the sneaking around because it was important for soldiers at risk to know that the commander in chief was willing to use them as a campaign photo opportunity after he had been ridiculed for his Mission Accomplished faux pas.\r\n***This "HIGH-RISK visit to Baghdad" was really a 2.5 hour sneak into the heavily guarded Airport Military Compound under cover of darkness. If it was 'high risk' then what are the daily flights that bring Soldiers and supplies into Baghdad in broad daylight? Why didn't George just don another flight suit and make a quick trip on a military jet this time? Not one US Military Jet has been shot down in IRAQ since 'Mission Accomplished' and the only airplane that suffered a shoulder fired missile attack was landed safely. There was nothing "HIGH RISK" about this campaign photo op. Chickenhawk George and company would not do anything that could be considered "HIGH RISK" to themselves but they don't mind "HIGH RISK" for young soldiers.\r\n- Aurabass, 10:25 AM Comment (0) \r\n","author":"Nonasskisser","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 17:46:13","modified":"2003-11-29 17:46:13","fileurl":""},{"id":95790,"heading":"Future Photo Ops to Expect","article":"Coming this December: A hand full of troops are given 4 days leave to come home for the holidays. Bush dresses up as Santa Claus and hands out gifts\r\n\r\nIn March 2004: After secretly cluster bombing western Iraq into a no mans land Bush climbs into a tank to personally lead the troops in the invasion of Syria.\r\n\r\nMid October 2004: the CIA plants a Saddam double in a remote village of northern Iraq. Bush parachutes out of air force one landing on Saddam, wrestling him to the ground and pining him down while the troops rush in for the take down. This is all miraculously captured on video and broadcast by the media everyday for the rest of the month.\r\n","author":"x","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-29 17:49:32","modified":"2003-11-29 17:49:32","fileurl":""},{"id":95854,"heading":"Ever been in a Mess Hall at Thanksgiving?","article":"I guarantee that the Turkey that the Turkey is holding was prepared for this Photograph. You would never see a Turkey on a Platter in a Mess Hall. It would be behind the Line where the Cooks would be butchering it as fast as they can to keep the line moving and feed the Troops.\r\n\r\nThat was a set-up Photo.","author":"I have","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-11-30 16:54:22","modified":"2003-11-30 16:54:22","fileurl":""},{"id":96559,"heading":"Mongo","article":"George Bush has his mother's cruel mouth and his father's tiny brain and winkie.","author":"Carnivore","parent_id":95741,"mime_type":"text\/plain","created":"2003-12-07 03:30:08","modified":"2003-12-07 03:30:08","fileurl":""}]}