Strange Bush photo on NYT frontpage

[DeepModem Mom]

Does he look like a bewildered and powerless little man standing there, exposed behind the Oz-like curtain of Rove's backdrop?

[Hobarticus]

1. Looks like a man who walked onto Liberace's stage set by mistake

and is bewildered by how to get off again.

[Mark E. Smith]

26. All that is missing is the candelabra and the piano

[Hobarticus]

40. Fabulous! n/t

[OldLeftieLawyer]

2. Actually,

I get the sense he just realized he's not wearing pants, but he's not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

God, I hate him. It always surprises me how much I hate him.

[BlueEyedSon]

3. "bewildered and powerless little man".... as usual!

[Canuckistanian]

4. I love Katrina Vanden Heuvel's line last night on the Daily Show

"Bush needs those backdrops to remind himself what he's supposed to be talking about" (paraphrasing)

[verdalaven]

11. Katrina Vanden Heuvel?

I thought Nancy Pelosi was on last night? Or am I missing an inside joke?

[Canuckistanian]

27. My mistake. See below.

[verdalaven]

35. Okay, I thought I was missing something

:)

[northzax]

13. she was on Colbert, not TDS

but she was pretty freaking funny.

[Canuckistanian]

24. Oops , my mistake

The two shows seem to blend into one another.

[Orrex]

5. My first impression

When I see "Plan For Victory" put forth in this way as a feel-good slogan devoid of meaning, I have a moment of indecision: is "Plan" a noun or verb?

If it's a verb, it seems like a hollow exhortation, or a plea that we, the citizenry, take care of the planning.

If it's a noun, then it looks like tiny Dubya is being offered as the plan itself, which would be a dire circumstance indeed.

I know that this is semantic pedantry, but that's the vibe I get.


Oh--and the whole stage looked like a Jeopardy set to me.

[MADem]

Dupe, sorry, I need a new mouse....!

[MADem]

31. I think it begs to be followed by "Prepare for Defeat" myself

Anus in the Morning likened that absurd backdrop to a game show!!!

Hmmm--Heel of Misfortune, perhaps?

[KansDem]

43. "Deadly Jeopardy?" "Bush/Saudi Family Feud?" "Let's Make a Secret Deal?"

The possibilities are endless...

[in_cog_ni_to]

6. Those props of his are GARISH! OSTENTATIOUS! ELABORATE!

and HITLER-ISH! and a HUGE waste of tax payer's money!:grr: Honestly. Would you look at that crap?

[nickinSTL]

14. I wouldn't necessarily say Hitler-ish

more like it's trying to be royal...the crest/arms thing in the background...looks like he wants to be King George...in the mold of the autocrats of the 18th-19th century, of course, not modern constitutional monarchs.

[in_cog_ni_to]

34. There was a side by side pic comparison on DU yesterday.

One from a Hitler speech and the idiot's speech yesterday...TRUST ME...it IS HITLER-ish. I tried to find the pic, but couldn't and I don't remember who posted it or what thread it was on, but maybe whoever posted it will read this and post it for you. :)

[MADem]

36. That is the USNA seal, FWIW

It's there to remind him where the hell he is today--the sweaty little midshipmen in their wool blouses sitting with glazed eyes before him are not a sufficient clue, I guess....

[Demit]

7. You can read that photo.

The 2-dimensionality of the props; the fact that they contain the one phrase, repeated again and again; how they crowd Bush into a corner of the frame, facing the wrong way, not forward looking but backward; the only space left, the only place left to go is blackness. Interesting choice of the photographer, and of the photo editor. I like it.

[sybylla]

25. Agreed!

This photo is definitely not about the chimp but about the BS and blackness surrounding him.

[SpiralHawk]

41. Notice the little pitchforks coming out of the top of the shields

Interesting image. Little pitchforks. Belzebush Indeed.

Even though those are apparently official Naval academy insignia, they are Orwellian in the Propaganda context. I mean, WTF...

See this DU thread about today's editorial in the New York Tims comparing Bush to Belshazzar.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5491658

[LizW]

8. That was one of the freakier stage "sets" he's used

The photographs are just strange.

[Swamp Rat]

9. It almost looks like The Onion, but without the great "articles."

:D

[mike_c]

10. that stage set was the most striking thing about the whole speech...

...IMO. It's very strange, and a bit disturbing in ways that I can't really describe. Strangely enough, it's the apparent attempt to emulate a battleship, with all the steel plate and rivets that I find most disturbing. The imagery is oppressive in a victorian sort of way.

[Webster Green]

39. I think it's meant to be the vault from which the plan was removed

They are "de-classifying" parts of their rock solid plan that they have had since the beginning of the war, in an attempt to re-assure the restless natives that everything is under control, as always.

It's sad to think that nobody at BushCo Inc. had the sense to say "Isn't that stage set just a little fucking over the top?"

[Beetwasher]

12. They Should Put As Much Effort Into Running This Country

And to actually creating a plan for Iraq as they do in making those fucking idiotic backdrops. I mean holy fuck! They are going absolutely bonkers! I guess they think that the bigger and more gaudy the message backdrops, the more effective their bullshit will be. Unfortunately for them, it's so over the top it's become a cartoon and obvious to just about everyone what they are trying to do.

[hopeisaplace]

17. Absolutely! "they ARE going bonkers"

how out of touch are these people?!!!..O.M.G.

[Inland]

15. Backdrop could have been designed by Speer nt

[Doctor_J]

16. I sometimes use tha background in my powerpoint slides

I wonder if Gates got a royalty on that speech.

[zippy890]

18. bewildered and very much alone

that is quite a stiking picture actually

large propagandistic message overwhelms the little lonely man perched atop it like a hood ornament.

[oldlady]

19. The Headline Below the Photo

*LOL* "I'm an INTERNATIONAL propagandist"

[MrBenchley]

20. You nailed it perfectly....

Good find!

[Bozita]

21. The Globe and Mail has a better one (sleeping cadets)

[hippiechick]

28. LOL !

THAT photo - and the headline - is priceless !!

[Benhurst]

22. It's obscene that the taxpayers have to pay for all his props.

The Republican party should be charged for them.

How I miss the days (an old timer speaking here) when an ELECTED president of the United States could make a speech without all the phony backdrops.

[Loge23]

23. it's all about image

With a intellectually bankrupt administration, the image is all they have to drive home the point. This is why the backdrops keep getting more and more elaborate. They know the chimp isn't making any sense and the people have stopped listening.
It's Germany 1939 all over again.

[hippiechick]

29. And look at the article UNDER the photo :

"US Is Said to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers"


OOPS!

[VaYallaDawg]

30. He's probably desperate for a drink.

[sofa king]

32. I've improved the set slightly.

It's a bit subtle, but I think it better reflects the President's new position.

[DeepModem Mom]

33. Very good! nt

[MADem]

37. Damn, that is quite well done! And accurate!!! n/t

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

38. Coincidence? You decide.

[iconoclastNYC]

44. Modified these a little bit

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

46. Oh man. Great work. Notice the difference?

Hitler has more supporters than Shrub.

[jackstraw45]

42. At least there were no DOORS on the propaganda set

[Jim__]

45. Definitely makes him look like a little man -

surrounded by all his props.

Makes you wonder about the WH PR machine - this stuff is getting bad - and obvious.