Barack Obama baseball bat photograph sparks outrage in Turkey

The President was pictured in the Oval office speaking to Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the escalating crisis in Syria. In one hand was the telephone and the other a bat signed by legendary ballplayer Hank Aaron.

But the photograph caused dismay from opposition Turkish politicians who have interpreted a more menacing message behind the image.

"The photo reveals from whom our Prime Minister receives orders to rule the country,” Metin Lutfi Baydar, an opposition politician for Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP) party, said.

Another CHP leader, the party’s vice president Umut Oran, said the picture was "an implicit insult to Turkey and its citizens” in Parliament.

Clearly stung by the reaction, the White House released a statement to clarify the reason for releasing the picture. (...)