--- Die Absurdität des rein auf die mediale Wirkung ausgerichteten "Turkey-Dinner" Bushs wird immer größer. Denn nun behauptet Wayne Madsen im Counterpunch, dass die Soldaten in Bagdad um 6 Uhr morgens (!) an Thanksgiving anrücken mussten, um mit ihrem Oberkommandierenden ein "Abendessen" zu genießen. Air Force One touched down at Baghdad International Airport, under cover of darkness, at 5:20 AM Baghdad time. Bush was on the ground for two and a half hours, his plane departing Baghdad at around 7:50 AM. Considering that it likely took some 30 minutes for Bush to disembark from Air Force One and travel by a heavily secured motorcade to the hangar where the troops were assembled, that means our military men and women were downing turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and non-alcoholic beer at a time when most people would be eating eggs, bacon, grits, home fries, and toast.

Update: Matt Drudge hat in seinem Weblog dagegen -- ganz "exklusiv" -- eine andere Zeitschiene: The President left Waco secretly Wednesday at 8:25 p.m. Eastern (7:25 p.m. Texan) with a small pool, stopped at Andrews to pick up a few staff and a few more poolers, change planes and then head to Baghad. Both flights were what we think of as the normal Air Force One, Boeing 747 with the normal marking. The President landed in darkness at Baghdad International Airport at 9:31 a.m. Washington time (5:32 p.m. local) on Thursday, Nov. 27, Thanksgiving Day. He took off at 12:03 p.m. Eastern time. Auch CNN und BBC unterstützen die Lesart Madsens nicht (die Counterpunch-Story ist aber momentan noch unkorrigiert online). Wie dem auch sei, der Mediencoup war so oder so gelungen -- und etwas Rätselhaftes haftet dem Flug bislang jedenfalls auch noch an.