Navy medic Dustin E. Kirby, whose bloodied hand was the subject of a November 3 BAGnewsNotes posting holding a sniper's bullet in Karma, Iraq, was wounded himself earlier this week. He was shot in the left side of his face, also by a sniper, and also in Karma, on...
Continue ReadingBecause I haven't given you much room lately to run with the discussion, I'm on the move, and the recent political images have been, well, remarkable, I'm offering you these two to consider over the weekend.
Continue Reading(In light of Saddam Hussein's hanging in the middle of last night, I thought you might appreciate this BAGnewsNotes post that originally ran December 17, 2003 following the pre-Christmas capture of Saddam Hussein. It was titled "Santa Hussein" and is reposted here word-for-word.)
Continue ReadingYes, I was taken with the visual intelligence, freshness and drama of the Edwards announcement.
Continue ReadingWith the re-circulation of Bush holding hands with an ailing Ford, perhaps Rove is having some second thoughts about this December '05 photo op in Rancho Mirage, Not that any one picture or any one story makes that much of a difference, but today, this file photo only...
Continue ReadingSix years in, we've run through countless comparisons, analogies and metaphors for "43" -- but not all.
Continue ReadingThis was the White House press office's paltry offering on Saturday, on what must be one of the slowest news days possible; the work week gone and Christmas still two days off. You've got to give them credit for trying though; just the day before being hauled to the...
Continue ReadingI was wondering what you thought of the Cheney's holiday card?
Continue ReadingEarlier this week, Iraqi forces took control of the province of Najaf, south of Baghdad, marking the first time the United States has turned over that responsibility to national troops.... Inside a local stadium, commandos demonstrated their karate moves and kicks, and a police officer in plain clothes acting...
Continue ReadingIt's been hard to look at the political pictures this week without feeling both disgust and sadness. It's possible that the latest incarnation of "Bush Gone Wild" is strictly temporary, and that "Let's Roll" reruns will quickly disappear once the Congressional season begins. Still, I can't look at the...
Continue ReadingThe shot above, although tied to an article about Grand Ayatollah Sistani and Iraq's religious politics, is spread over four columns and juxtaposed with the two column headline regarding Bush's plan to expand the size of the U.S. armed forces. Regardless of the denials in the headline article, however,...
Continue ReadingI find this shot of Cheney in the Oval Office -- posted December 7th to the TIME White House Photo Blog -- really remarkable. In the past month, many of you have sent me messages and links, in some form titled: "The Smirk Is Gone." In this case, Cheney...
Continue ReadingThis shot appeared a few days ago on TIME's White House Correspondents Photo Blog. Viciously demeaning, it shows General Pete Schoomaker, Chief of Staff of the Army; Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of Naval Operation; General Michael "Buzz" Moseley, Chief of Staff of the Air Force; and General Jim Conway,...
Continue ReadingShort of naming Bush the Person of the Year for his historic one-year descent, perhaps photographing him in bed with Nancy Pelosi, or Barney Frank even, TIME had the opportunity to show Ahmadinejad in his finest form.
Continue ReadingReally, I don't know what impelled me to seek out this shot of P.O.W. McCain hanging in the Maison Centrale Prison (or "Hanoi Hilton") museum in Hanoi. (Via: bootsnall.com.) Except for the fact that, perhaps, McCain is working on his '08 persona and also laying out his bona fides.
Continue ReadingHéctor Mediavilla -- one of those fine, up-and-coming Spanish photographers you've met in Barcelona -- captured these stunning images of Christmas in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo. And sure, he thinks it's ironic the Christmas toys, trees and trinkets come courtesy of the good-hearted subsidization...
Continue ReadingWhat The BAG has been tracking lately is the public relations posturing employed by Hezbollah, and its effect in shaping, moderating and muting the media coverage. On that score, Hezbollah has done a masterful job controlling the narrative and, particularly, toning down its militant profile. With Karl Rove having...
Continue ReadingOn Monday Bush, Cheney and Rice left the State Department, stopping only for a brief statement to the press, taking no questions. The answers were, visually, quite obvious.
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