I'm Sure Smirky's Golf Game Wasn't That Hard To Cut Loose
Just like he never felt any need for collective sacrifice, it is just not in Bush's make-up to have made this decision to give up golf in the broader context of "the appropriate behavior to set in wartime."
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Whatever It Takes To Be On Top
After getting punked at the WH Correspondents Dinner in '06 (and again at last year's post-mid-year election Radio and Television Correspondents Association chum-fest), Dubya literally made sure, this year, he had the upper hand.
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Kerry-McCain '02 (Or:The McCain Slouch)
The shot leads off yesterday's NYT story about two instances in which McCain seriously entertained hooking up with the Dems. Apparently, Mac -- after having been beaten (up) by Bush for the nomination -- actively explored switching sides in '01. And in '04, he pursued discussions regarding running as...
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MacFear (Or, More Accurately, MacLame PR)
Frankly, I don't know why the military would release such an image. In reality, it's one of those grabbed shots that can convey anything. Visually, though it shows McCain appear to cower as his helicopter prepares to lift off from Iraq. The juxtaposition is heightened that much more between...
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Our Man In New Hampshire #5: Mill Worker Mission
Just got the first couple shots in from Alan on John Edwards. I'm tied up for a few hours this morning and also need to catch Chin on the road before pulling the set together. He says that Edwards actually has one more event scheduled this afternoon whereas the...
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Crying About Clinton
In part, I think the current regard for "bulletproof strength" and (supposedly) "invulnerable will" has been juiced to the standard it has by this Administration as a political defense to protect the absolutely profound character weakness and poverty of feeling of one George W.... If you watch this clip...
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New Hampshire Debate: Seeing Hillary More Like People Who Know Her Do
The problem with Hillary's beautifully freewheeling response last night to John Edwards -- in a minute defined much more by passion than anger -- is the stark contrast it drew with her "expression of self" the rest of the time.
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Romney: A Shadow Of The Real Deal
In this photo and NYT bio piece on Mitt Romney and his famous father, we are led to assume that Mitt is a shadow of his father. Well, try the opposite.
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Obama More Or Less
Having watched Obama closely in the debate last night (and since we were discussing him earlier in the week), I wanted to come back to him ... but from a more psychological point of view.
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Hillary: On The Face Of It
When the "Hillary laugh" business came up about two weeks ago, I didn't pay much attention. It seemed mindlessly superficial. I'm taking notice now, however, for the way its wormed into recent campaign imagery, and especially, the newswire stock.
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Clarence Thomas: Cover For Paranoia
The photo and layout of the Harper Collins Clarence Thomas memoir gets it about right. It's a portrait of paranoia.
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On Screen In Real Life
Why is it that Reagan could have gotten away with acting the Presidency, or Americans would bestow credibility on a completely unqualified, yet elaborately framed and consistently stage-managed George Bush? The answer is that humans, in lending themselves to pictures, are simultaneously wired for a more concrete, factual inspection...
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Wingnuts Looking The Part — For A Change
This Administration has consistently avoided judgement by defying expected norms of reaction and standard emotional cause-and-effect.
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Candidate Abuse
Did you happen to notice Sunday's front page NYT piece, "In 2008 Race, Little Ones Go on the Trail With Daddy" ? After the read, the pictures and the video, the one thing I can say for certain now is: this campaign is way too long to do anybody...
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At The Threshold
Once fully on stage last night with King Abdullah (playing chaperone and make-up date), and then on back on today with the recalcitrant Maliki, Bush met the customary marks with his seen-a-thousand-times TV face and that Southern charm. Still, through a psychological eye...
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Burning Bush — Congress Edition
(click for full size) Is Bush poison? The NYT published a striking photo yesterday of the ceremony in which the President signed his highly touted (and much defended) terror interrogation legislation. (Story.) If you can find a more bitter image of legislative triumph, I’d love to see it. The...
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Full Of Macaca
At first, you might not see much connection between the NYT George Allen "macaca" story, and a piece that appeared later that week about facial profiling at airports. The link is that ultimately, both stories have to do with reading faces. Thank goodness for You Tube. What The Times article...
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A Touching Man, Part II
The thing about those "Merkel massage" video frames is that nobody really looks too closely at Bush. Like scanning a flip book, one is concerned with the story line, focusing on two key plot points -- Merkel, in shot #3, flipping out, and Bush, in shots #3 and #4, making...
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