Michelle At Arlington

Perhaps the photo op of the week involved Michelle Obama at the Women in Military Service Memorial Center at Arlington.

The Obama’s are brilliant at blending messages and agendas to symbolically arm and disarm at the same time. With the President pursuing a multi-pronged agenda, the top photo — of Michelle posing with two one-hundred-year-old war veterans — seems to embrace a cross-section of issues, including: support for the troops, veterans affairs, health care and women’s rights. Of course, with Bush having largely avoiding the reality of war fatalities, the fact Mrs. Obama ventured to Arlington, especially early on, is significant in itself.

The second photo, echoing BHO’s visit to Camp Lejeune last Friday, captures everything missing the other day on the faces of the soldiers, the military apparently a little a skeptical about the new C.I.C. In spite of the paparazzi reaction from the second row back, the look of unqualified admiration from the two young women soldiers, one black and one white, evokes a strong sense of patriotism and support for the Administration, even if mostly attributable to the magnetism of the First Lady.

The last image, a striking visual showing Mrs. Obama examining a memorial wall of women veterans, I leave to you to interpret.

(image 1: Yuri Gripas/AFP – Getty. image 2 & 3: Alex Brandon/A.P. Arlington National Cemetery’s Women in Military Service for America Memorial Center. Washington. March 3, 2009)