Those Little People In Washington

Bush-Administration

MSNBC ran an article yesterday on the Iraq “progress report” due to Congress next week. With failure the theme, the article offered a largish-isolation shot of a squinting George Bush.

The story also linked to a 38 picture slide show. Do these kind of Administration features normally display that many photos of Bush in isolation? Bush is in 32 of the shots, and in 17 he is alone (not including 2 with Laura and one with a guard).

Or is Bush’s isolation the point?

Not unrelated, I thought, was this slide from the show. Taken on June 27, it offers U.N. Ambassador and former Iraq Ambassador Khalilzad; Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Karen Hughes; Bush; and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, Fran Townsend, stopping on their way to the Oval Office.

Zal was so big, and Hughes was big too. Through the diminished scale, the picture eloquently captures the Administration’s evaporation.

(image: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty. June 27, 2007. msnbc.msn.com)

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http://ruinsofempire.blogspot.com/ Rafael

A picture of a Land…Far..Far Away….
http://www.cafepress.com/liberalprogdem via

Bush operates in a vacuum.
jmac

They’re on the downslope, ready to slip- slide into history.
Gahso

I thought the interesting pic was this one. Bush appears to be doing some kind of voodoo – and there were at least 3 variations of this shot in the slideshow.
Images of Bush have been toxic for a long time. Now he’s just looking “used up”. His powers have diminished, but he’s still required to occupy the seat. The picture above looks like a snapshot. Bush is simply “one of four politians” walking somewhere. No power-filled jestures. No love, no hate. Just “there”.
Neutral is the best Bush can hope for these days. Rove is probably scrambling to make him look neutral – to lower his profile as he runs out the clock. Congress better not fall for it. IMPEACH. Convict. Investigate the hell out of his whole administration – and don’t forget 9-11. That crap still doesn’t add up. If Bush slides away, we won’t be healthy as a nation for as long as you and I live.
ummabdulla

It does look like a snapshot. I couldn’t tell who most of them were until I read the post, so that blue that Karen Hughes is wearing made me think of two couples on Easter Sunday. They all look very happy about something… or maybe the photographer just said “Say Cheeeeeeeese”.
readytoblowagasket

What a weird grouping: Khalilzad + Hughes, Bush + Townsend. What are the women doing there? Are they the dates?
a–

The slide show seems to always be about Bush off balance- not surprising, really. In many of the shots his posture is all akimbo and awkward feeling. And, yes isolated; his opinions, his glaring lack of friendship, his wayward management of HIS administration and everything HE is responsible for- the war, disregard for the Constitution/Democracy, making the USA a laughing stock globally. Ignorance is no excuse, eh? Not minor issues by any means. One might even say “isolating”.
Making the first 2 posts right on the $$ from my perspective. And #3 funny as hell!
PTate in FR

Karen Hughes is almost as tall as GWB. She’s slouching and standing behind Khalilzad as if she is trying to hide. Given that her position, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, began with such fanfare, promptly hit shoals and went aground and is now completely invisible, I am not surprised by her humility.
The photo looks to me like a domestic snapshot taken of two couples on their way home from a prayer meeting.
Morris Young

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