Take That, Jim Bunning!

President Barack Obama signs H.R. 4691, Temporary Extension Act of 2010, in his private office in the residence of the White House, March 2, 2010.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

An otherwise routine looking photo? Eager to take advantage of Jim Bunning and his GOP stonewall on extension of unemployment benefits, the White House had this picture up on their Flickr site yesterday within hours of the legislation being passed. Perhaps looking to create a more compassionate feel, it shows Obama signing the bill in the intimate setting of his private office in the White House residence. (Adding to the “at home” feel, also notice the stuff on the edge, the table top not too cluttered, not too clear — in contrast to most photos of Bush at a completely clean surface.)

As a program note, I’m going to be in Texas through the weekend attending the Obama Phenomena conference at Texas A&M. Responding to a paper by BagNewsSalon moderator Cara Finnegan on how Team Obama uses White House art in its visual communications, I’ll be speaking on how the White House makes strategic political use of its Flickr stream.