All Ears

It’s as much a “HELLO, MY NAME IS” sticker as it is a news photo.

This image, released by the British Ministry of Defence, shows Tony Blair’s heir apparent meeting with British troops in Basra. The caption says Gordon Brown is “addressing” British Joint Helicopter Forces.  But that’s not what the picture shows.  Instead, he’s all ears. Huddling with the troops almost at ground level, the new spin is: Welcome to the post-Rumsfeld era!

Unfortunately for the Brown offensive, however, there’s far too much dissonance here for him to make an impression.  Instead, the frame is overwhelmed by other things, including the sense of boys playing in a sandbox, and the feeling of “what now?”



(image: AFP/Ministry of Defence.  November 18, 2006.  Basra, Iraq.  Via YahooNews.)