Badly Lacking

Maybe this is more Wonkette than BAG material, I don't know.

Still, I saw both last night while doing my tour around.  The top shot is Robert Gates at the Conference on Security Policy in Munich on Sunday.  (Here's the justice.)  The McCain image was taken at a rally at the Virginia Aviation Museum on Monday.  According to the caption, this A-4 is just like the one he was flying when he was shot down in 'Nam.  (Frankly, I'm so exhausted by the war props ... but maybe that's more Mac's problem than mine.)

What these pics mostly make me think about, however -- beyond the (not so) subliminal -- is how Rove, with all his exacting visual message discipline, would never have let either of these shots happen.  Especially not the latter.

(image 1: Alexandra Beier/Reuters.  Munich. February 10, 2008.  image 2: Steve Helber/A.P.  Feb. 11, 2008. Richmond, Va. Via YahooNews)

Comments

[gasho]

These are so blatant on their face, there's no analysis needed.

OUch and double ouch for these dudes.

[The BAG]

gasho,

I really appreciate your comment. Gives me a chance to say how throughly I've been enjoying The BAG discussion since I re-tooled a few weeks back. That said, it's not always easy to find those shots which lend themselves, elementally, to analysis and a larger conversation. When it plays out that way, like it did last night, I'm just going for the most most visually telling or "plainly" interesting.

On the subject, I'm going to be going to be away starting Sunday for four days. (I'll be getting out of the country and also completely unplugging for the stretch.) While I'm gone, I plan to auto-post four '08 World Press Photo winning images, one each day. (The awards were announced last week.)

I'm hoping they provide food for thought, and deconstruction, and that The BAG community, as in the past, will ably carry the ball -- and the conversation -- while I briefly step away.

[jtfromBC]

As Iraq and Afghanistan implode our patient Robert Gates presents with a flat affect. If the Green Zone was over run tomorrow or Bin Laden was captured today Robert would report as if reading from a telephone book or a restaurant menu.
The Lack of Strategies backdrop might have concerned Karl but for Gates an earlier reality still exists

.. according to Mr. Suskind, "The aide said that guys like me were 'in what we call the reality-based community,' which he defined as people who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.' " The aide told Mr. Suskind, "That's not the way the world really works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act we create our own reality."

Captain John McCain III is also an empire member in good standing and if promoted to C in C his first stated mission is" flying to the gates of hell" to get you know who....

"McCain doesn't appear to be a war hero by conventional standards, but rather a tough survivor, whose handlers are overplaying the war hero card"
- David H. Hackworth http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_hacker_2.htm

[Mr. Stupid]

As far as unsubtle symbolism goes, I liked the picture that Drudge has been using today.

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20080212/2008_02_12t013823_450x282_us_usa_politics.jpg?x=400&y=250&sig=wcyViOm5YdALtApBIyPuNg--

It has more depth to the story line, like 'which way will he go?'

[Cactus]

It is almost unbelievable that anyone running for office would let such a photo out of their camp, let alone let it be published. It looks to be a factor of his age and inattention to detail. Again, in the Drudge photo referenced by Mr.Stupid, he's got that sh*t-eatin' chipmunk grin. Does he pump botox into his cheeks to get them to stick out like that?

And another thing......standing in front of his bomber (or a clone) coupled with his "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" theme song, one must assume he hasn't heard that 70% of the American public are against the occupation in Iraq AND BOMBING IRAN!

BTW, if you are going to reference something with a long url, I would suggest checking out
Snip or Tiny url....they work great.

[jtfromBC]

"Does he pump botox into his cheeks to get them to stick out like that"
nope Cactus, I believe that's the result of skin cancer which he was treated for back in 2000.

I think its great that he poses in front of killing machines and does other dumb things, start worrying if his war chest increases and Karl returns for coaching and consulting.
(Rove is coming soon to Vancouver BC to yak at The Fraser Institute our clone of The American Enterprise Institute.)

[Mr. Stupid]

Re: Cactus... I know TinyURL is great but it's totally non-transparent and a lot of people are wary of going to a link posted on an open forum that could be anything. It's long, but one line and still works for me, so I'd rather let people see that it's a yahoo! images (yimg.com) link and not malicious. sorry it's not as easy.