Serpentine Days

This was  yesterday's "last visual word" on the Petraeus testimony offered up by the NYT.

Since I'm currently in Rochester, participating on a panel at the RIT Kern Conference on Visual Rhetoric, I had the occasion to gather some thoughts on the image from a crackerjack team of visual academicians, including Northwestern's Bob Hariman and Indiana U.'s John Lucaites (co-authors of No Caption Needed), and Cara Finnegan from University of Illinois and first efforts.

In the dead-tree edition, in which you can see all the shoes on the floor, John's first take was: "boots on the ground."

As for the committee, they saw the General representing the serpentine head of of a military institution which has been cut off but for the one spokesman, who is marginalized and dislocated.  Checking out the hands under the table, the school boy quiescence demonstrates that assessment has been silenced.  Also noted was the fact that Petraeus's mug is actually blocking a symbol of one of the service branches on the wall -- more evidence that Petraeus has become a branch unto himself.

With that, Lucaites slithered in the direction of the biblical, coming back with: "Anyone for an apple?"

Iraq’s Military Seen as Lagging (NYT)

(image: Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times, April 9, 2008. Washington. nytimes.com)

Comments

[Dick Durata]

The blocked symbol could also be a halo over the General's head. If this guy isn't being prepped for higher office, I don't know who is. But the headless hands are 'impressionante'.

[gasho]

This is a wonderful shot and reminds me of the Bernanke shot from the other week... so much so that I wonder if the photographer wasn't influenced by it. It seems that those photographers who are crawling around on their knees in these sessions are using these odd perspectives and furniture blocks to make points these days and I find it very interesting. Nobody would normally have a view like that - it's not a normal, human to human perspective. Maybe that has something to tell us about the citizens role in these larger government dominated battles.

In the image, we are being talked down to, cut off from responding or connecting by a wooden barrier, seeing nothing but disconnected hands and documents with a talking head that we know is lying. The US flag isn't proudly displayed, either. It's hidden among purely military symbols, hanging limp with no pride, no glory, no honor..

[Sage]

Maybe a few more photos like this will result in better treatment of the press. We can hope!

[jtfromBC]

Eight years and five stars later, what do we know ?

2002 * BGen
2003 ** Maj Gen ~ 'Tell me how this ends'
2004 *** Lt Gen
2007 ****General
2008 Senate Hearings. ~ 'I don't know'

'We’re not after the Holy Grail in Iraq, We’re not after Jefferson democracy.'
The composed digits and scripted notes of military cadres compliment our hero's hand and opened ended responses thus protecting his future career should the new CinC not follow' his risk assessment' as the insurgents gradually remove the invaders from their country.

David's reward for attempting the impossible will be increased command responsibilities and more medals.
Politics is too much of a crap shoot for his personality type.

[jtfromBC]

!!!

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has nominated General Petraeus to replace Admiral William Fallon as head of US Central Command.