When is the next "Kerry" photo-op?

With all of the attention that Pennsylvania is getting from both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, I'm wondering who will be the first to have a photo-op backfire like John Kerry did in the summer of 2004, when he tried to prove to Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians alike that he was not a rich Boston Brahmin who didn't know what cheesesteaks were all about.

Oops.

He went to Pat's King of Steaks in South Philly (my favorite, by far - I wouldn't buy a stick of gum off of Geno's across the street - see my Boycott List).

Kerry's first mistake - trying to order a cheesesteak with swiss. I can only imagine the reaction from the guy at the counter - Pat's employees are notoriously cranky if you don't know "how to order" a steak the Philly way.

Kerry's second mistake - his handlers asked photographers who were along for the ride to "not take pictures" while Kerry was eating, which was tantamount to saying, "Hey! Photographers! Have you cameras ready when the Senator tries to eat a cheesesteak!"

Kerry's third mistake (pictured) - Not knowing how to pick the thing up to eat it. This pic got plenty of play in the local press for some days, and most of it was in good fun. (Must have been the "liberal media" giving him heat, no doubt.)

In my humble estimation and lay opinion, the bottom line with photo ops is this - people know that nearly all politicians try to be many things to many people, especially during high-profile campaign stops. But, the effective politicians do their homework ahead of time, which Kerry and his staff clearly did not do. The only way this could have gone worse would have been Kerry's wearing a Dallas Cowboys cap to Pat's.

Now that would have been funny.

Photo from Attytood

A showdown over Iraq looming large

Lots more to get to later today. The Senate has passed a bill calling for the almost immediate withdraw of our troops from Iraq, beginning in about four months. I'll have lots more to say about this tonight, but this is precisely what Democrats were sent to Congress last November to do - clean up the corruption that has so infested our federal government, and to end this misbegotten war.

I wonder if Bush will get on TV today to hammer home his already trite talking point - that the Democrats are engaging in "political theater" by passing bills in both Houses of Congress mandating that the troops be brought home. What an asinine thing for Bush to say, especially coming from a president who shamelessly uses theater to propagate his myopic views as to why the War in Iraq was/is so necessary.

This is how President Bush announced earlier this week that he would veto legislation that had any sort of deadline for American forces to withdraw from Iraq. Nah, no theater there. Look at who's standing in the background - Members of various veterans groups and their families.

How dare the Democrats participate in political theater!

President Bush would never stoop to such levels for political gain. He's beyond rank partisan politics and cheap photo opportunities. I repeat, he'd never do that.

Nope, never.

Ever.

Too good not to pass on

I got this in an e-mail forward this morning. I don't even know if it's real or not, but it's too good to not pass on. The point is, even if it's Photoshopped, you can still conceive of the President doing something like this.

Actually, the above forward sent me down memory lane. A few years ago, Bush flew to Iraq for a surprise Thanksgiving visit. The worst photo-op president in history was a bit embarrassed when it was revealed...



...that the turkey he was holding in the photo was fake. Total humiliation? No, but it underscores the fact that he wanted to be portrayed as the self-described "Wartime President" entertaining the troops during Thanksgiving. What a sham.

Still think I'm exaggerating about Bush's photo-op flops? Here's a few more great examples...



This one leaves me speechless. Washington, Jefferson, TR, Lincoln and... and... Bush?!? This photo leaves me breathless with laughter whenever I look at it.

Okay, the real reason I'm on the photo-op kick this morning, is Bush's address yesterday to the NAACP. A quick trip down memory lane: In 2004, Bush became the first sitting U.S. president since Herbert Hoover (also a Republican) to decline an invitation to address the NAACP. His comments at the time included the remark that his relationship with the current leadership of the organization was "nonexistent," while whining about "the names they've called me." I never realized a president could have such a thin skin.

But, I have to give Bush some credit. It takes a pretty big set of balls to appear before the civil rights organization after comments like that. Anyway, out he went yesterday, and it's safe to say the speech could have gone better. On to the photos...



"Look! Over here! I'm with my black Secretary of State! Guess where we are going?" This was taken yesterday morning. You can almost read the body language here - he's making sure he gets the press's attention with that stupid, stupid wave he always does before embarking on Marine One. Rice was headed to the Middle East to deal with the building crisis between Israel and Lebanon, while Bush's busy day included his speech to the NAACP.



Jessie Jackson (whom I'm no huge fan of) sits enthralled with other members of the audience during Bush's address yesterday to the NAACP. Big deal, and not an unexpected reaction, right?
Well, the photographer panned left, and look who was sitting in the audience?



I'm glad Condi could take the time out of her schedule to help solve the Mid-East crisis to hear Bush speak. People are getting slaughtered in the Middle East by the minute, and the whole area is on the brink of war, but that would not take priority over a Karl Rove photo op. Priorities are evidentally not the strong suit of this administration.