I can't look at this picture of the President from today's Gray Lady without being struck by the utter disdain on his face. It's deeply unflattering and plays right in to the right-wing narrative of Obama as an arrogant autocrat -- a narrative which contains a germ of truth but also a very healthy dose of exaggeration.
Maybe the photographer just caught him at a really bad moment. But never let it be said again that the New York Times is unwilling to print an unflattering picture of Barack Obama.
February 24, 2010
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One of my favorite movies from the mid-90s was "Election." It had this incredibly funny opening sequence (for which I give Reese Witherspoon credit, as it required a notable lack of vanity) during which they freeze-framed her mid-conversation with ridiculous expressions on her face. Hilarious. (Maybe not as funny in the retelling, but trust me.)
I think this picture says more about the Times than it does about Obama, or perhaps about our perceptions of him. It's one moment in time, and reflects nothing more than a chance appearance.
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