It's not plastic pizza like the plastic turkey Dubya served up to his troops....

[Playinghardball]

President Obama carries boxes of pizza as he arrives for an unannounced stop at a campaign office in Henderson, Nevada

[GreenStormCloud]

1. Bush's turkey was not plastic, it was real.

I served nine years active duty. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas there is a traditional meal served if the conditions permit. There is always a complete cooked turkey on disply. It is a real turkey. The dining halls (mess halls to you veterans) don't have a big plastic bird that is stored for a year between holidays. That would be a real pain in the neck and would get lost. It is much easier to simply pick one of the birds that are cooked for the troops and put it on a platter on the display table. It was that display turkey that Bush picked up and was photographed.

[DollarBillHines]

2. It was plastic, indeed.

GF and I have both spent time in food service (thankfully, many years ago). When * was prancing around with that "turkey" on a platter, we both commented that there was no way the thing could be real.

Admittedly, it was never proven, but there is just no way he could have handled that platter with a large turkey on it.

That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
DBH

[GreenStormCloud]

9. The military doesn't keep a plastic turkey for a twice a year display.

It would get lost during the ten months of not being used. Easier to use a real bird. Bush was till a dufus for the way he picked up the display bird and acted like he was serving it.

[DollarBillHines]

10. The military doesn't print Mission Accomplished banners, either.

The * camp claimed the banner was printed on the 'carrier until they were called on it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Except that this particular turkey was plastic

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/dec/06/usa.comment

The White House said the bird had been furnished by a contractor, and that officials had no idea that the turkey would be in the mess hall, or that the president would pick up the trophy turkey.

The Post quoted military sources as saying that a decorative turkey was a standard feature of holiday chow lines.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-250_162-586761.html

It was part of a classic photo op, and you know they happen regularly as well.

Oh before you claim I could have no idea what a chow hall is, or a mess deck, my husband is a retired Chief and I did my time somewhere else.

[Qutzupalotl]

6. IIRC, my caption for that photo at the time was "This turkey is just a prop...

...and he's holding a plastic centerpiece."

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Yup

[GreenStormCloud]

12. A decorative turkey is indeed a standard feature of military holiday chow lines.

In my time I saw many of them. "Furnished by a contractor" does not mean plastic. A plastic bird would be more difficult to find than simply baking and glazing a real bird.

Yes, it was a photo-op, and a rather stupid one at that. He was a dufus for picking up the display turkey and acting like he was personally serving it.

The other article makes no pretense of being a news article.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. And it was reported as plastic by

people like the WAPO, take it with them.

I did forget both Reuters and the AP at the time as well.

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

4. Lot's of reports it was plastic, see post #3

[HopeHoops]

5. Correction. The shrub's turkey wasn't plastic, it was real, but still a prop.

It was glazed and adorned hours before his arrival (inedible by then). The troops had to surrender all ammunition before the appearance. Nobody ate said turkey and nobody should have. It was wasted by then. But it was a real wasted turkey. Just like the troops he was in the room with. Cannon fodder.

Why is it that the war hawks are all chickens?

[GreenStormCloud]

11. Agreed. N/T

[onecent]

7. AWESOME AWESOME PICTURES...AWESOME PRESIDENT....n/t

[lonestarnot]

14. And unlike Mittwiit and that turkey, neither is Mr. President.