George W. Bush Appears on Deal or No Deal
George W. Bush often referred to himself as a "wartime president," going so far as to spread the news that "major combat operations in Iraq" were over while wearing a flight-suit on a battleship. And while his administration would come under heavy fire over conditions at veterans' hospitals, Bush did make sure to always reach out to America's men and women in uniform, even if that meant making a cameo on a game show produced out of Los Angeles — not friendly territory for the self-styled ranch hand. So when the purple-heart winning Army Captain Joseph Kobes appeared as a contestant on the April 21, 2008, episode of Deal or No Deal, host Howie Mandel told the Iraq war veteran that someone wanted to come on the program to acknowledge his service. Appearing via satellite, Bush thanked Kobes, and then went on to offer up a joke or two at his own expense. "I am thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings," he said.