Liberal Repercussion

December 4, 2003 | Daily Mislead Archive
More Photographic Dishonesty from President Bush


In the most famous picture from his trip to Baghdad, President Bush
had himself artfully photographed to look like he was serving turkey
to the troops.1 The image was emblazoned on front pages throughout
the country - and now appears to be an entirely false depiction.

According to the Washington Post, Bush was actually holding "a
decoration, not a serving plate."2 In other words, he was holding a
prop, not real food, and thus only pretending for the cameras to be
serving up the holiday meal.

The Post notes that "the foray has opened new credibility questions
for a White House that has dealt with issues" like this in the past.
In fact, the flap marks the second such distortion in as many days
about his trip to Baghdad. Just yesterday it was revealed that the
White House's tall tale of Air Force One crossing paths with a
British Airways plane was entirely false.3

The deceptive picture also harkens back to the controversy
surrounding the President's "Mission Accomplished" banner4. On May 1,
he stood on the deck of the U.S.S. Lincoln in front of the giant sign
and declared that "major combat operations have ended."5 Since that
time, more troops have been killed or wounded than before he made
that statement, prompting more questions about his photo-op.6

When asked why he chose to stand in front of the "Mission
Accomplished" banner at a press conference six months later,
Bush "disavowed the background banner," saying the White House staff
had nothing to do with producing it.7 But then Navy and
administration officials admitted the President had been dishonest,
saying that "the White House actually made it."8 White House
spokesman Scott McClellan specifically said, "We took care of the
production of it. We have people to do those things."

Of course, Bush's penchant for taking misleading and dishonest photos
has not been confined to Iraq. In July of 2002, the President visited
a low-income housing development in Atlanta to tout his commitment to
funding it. He then proposed a budget that eliminated its
funding9,10. Similarly, the President visited a Boys and Girls Club
in January of 2003 to tout the organization's efforts.11 He said the
club "has got a grand history of helping children." Just four days
after his photo-op, he proposed to cut 15% out of funding for the
Boys and Girls Club12.

Sources:
CBSNews.com, 11/27/2003.
"The Bird Was Perfect But Not For Dinner", Washington Post,
12/04/2003.
"Pilots Didn't Radio Air Force One, Airline Says", Washington Post,
12/02/2003.
CBSNews.com, 10/29/2003.
"President Bush Announces Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have
Ended", WhiteHouse.Gov, 05/01/2003.
"Postwar Deaths of U.S. Troops in Iraq Exceeds Combat Toll", New York
Time, 08/26/2003.
"Bush disavows background banner in May speech", USA Today,
10/28/2003.
"White House pressed on 'mission accomplished' sign", CNN,
10/29/2003.
President Calls for Expanding Opportunities to Home Ownership,
06/17/2003.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, 2/5/2003.
President Commemorates 1st Anniversary of Freedom Corps, 01/30/2003.
CNN Crossfire, 1/30/03.

posted by Rei Toei @ 4:03 p.m.