Obama, Pharaoh in Dockers
June 5, 2009 at 9:44 am by Andisheh Nouraee in NewsLooking for the transcript of Obama’s Cairo speech, I noticed the main image on the front page of WhiteHouse.gov:
There’s nothing objectionable about a nice photo of the president visiting world landmarks. On the contrary, it’s good for Americans to have their leaders depicted showing interest in non-American things.
But of all the photos taken by the White House photographer at Giza yesterday, the one they chose to make the lead photo on WhiteHouse.gov depicts Obama’s head above and between the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre.
I hated it when Bush dressed up in war-hero drag and I hate it that this White House thinks it’s a good idea to depict Obama as a casual-Friday King of the Nile.
Luckily for you, Mr. President, I’m in a generous mood. I’m willing to forgive this faux-pas if the health care reform you sign includes a public option.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:20 am
There’s nothing wrong with this photo, you’re just being bitchy.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I am strongly and bi-partisanly averse to democratic leaders art-directing themselves in heroic/mythic poses.
I certainly understand why someone would look at the same image and not react as I do.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:43 am
perhaps the president shold be removed from the picture altogether?
or at least the dockers could be photoshopped out.
but seriously – no mention of the speech itself?
June 5th, 2009 at 10:46 am
speech was fantastic.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:49 am
So, Obama is in charge of art directing his photos and selecting which photo graces the website? I had no idea.
Sorry, but this blog entry is very Drudge. You’re embarrasing yourself.
June 5th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Seriously, take the good with the bad.
I thought the speech was average, especially the parts where he cribbed from W’s earlier speeches.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:00 am
“at least the dockers could be photoshopped out”
We already have images of a shirtless Obama…
But seriously, if you think this photo is bad, check this out!
June 5th, 2009 at 11:11 am
If expressing thoughts with which you don’t agree is Drudge-like, then yes, Jeff, I am Drudge-like.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:35 am
But that’s my problem with this entry. You are not a Drudge-like writer. Typically you do excellent work, but this entry is poor quality work because you are making assumptions about the motives of Obama and his staff phtographers and using them as a platform for equating Obama standing in front of the Sphinx with Bush’s flight suit charade. There is no similarity between the two.
This blog entry, in my opinion, is like yesterdays headline on the Drudge Report that read “Obama sports thin moustache in mideast speech” (as if that’s somehow a bad thing, or even the least bit newsworthy). The article (actually, it was just a photo with a caption) it linked to said nothing about a moustache, and in the photo Obama did not even have a moustache. So it was all just a bunch of crap.
Obviously you can write or think whatever you want, but we need quality journalism desperately. Usually you provide that. I hope you will continue.
If this was a comedy piece, I apologize for missing the joke. Usually your jokes are obvious and funny…like calling Shalhoup a jerk the other day. I laughed at that, and laughed a second time when she (or is it he?) didn’t appear to get the joke one of your commenters posted.
June 5th, 2009 at 11:49 am
You mean you didn’t notice the “Israeli-Palestinian Peace Achieved” banner hanging in the background?
June 5th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Thank you for the kind words, Jeff.
Since you’ve read my writing before, you know that I’m sitting my keyboard trying to cook up anti-Obama personal attacks.
One of the things that coloring our views of this particular photo is that we’re assuming different things about the process that put it on the site.
Pete Souza, the guy who is paid by the White House to take attractive photos of the president’s every move, probably took thousands of photos of Obama at the pyramids yesterday.
Only one showed up on the front page of the White House web site. The people who have been hired to craft Obama’s visual presentation picked it because thought it looked really good and delivered some sort of politically advantageous message.
Why does it look good to them?
In part because places Obama’s face between two timeless, glorious icons.
Stagecraft is part of the modern presidency. I’m not complaining about the concept. But Obama’s people have a knack for gilding the lily.
June 5th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
those bastards, lol.
how dare they present their man in the most favorable light possible through flattering photos?
actually, come to think of it – who WOULDN’T try to get a pic with the sphinx and great pyramid, given the opportunity?
if this is the biggest problem that comes up during the POTUS trip to the middle east, i’ll gladly take it.
next issue, please!
June 5th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
That’s the thing, Wesley — I don’t think it’s flattering. I think it’s cheap.
June 5th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Damn that FDR and his fireside chats.
June 6th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I think this is a bit oversensitive… I went to the middle east two years ago. The picture I chose as the cover for the online album? Myself in front of the Sphinx and Pyramid of Khafre. I think I’m pretty great, but I don’t really look at myself as a Pharaoh.
I chose the picture because it was the most instantly recognizable image of “Middle East.” Most direct explanation is that the dude who does the website did the same thing. He just looks more down-to-business/less jackass-tourist than I did.
Obama’s images, especially in campaign literature, may have been messianic, but this isn’t a particularly good example.