Obama + Souza + Football + NATO + Soldier Field + 2012

It’s such a brilliant photo:

It’s youthful and energetic.

It intones the campaign slogan (forward).

It’s throughly optimistic: onward and upward.

It’s completely confident: Looking downfield. Playing offense. Going for it.

It’s completely singular. The leader.

It’s like crack to young football-crazed males.

It’s Chicago — home turf. But it’s the whole world.

It’s about staying the course for a second term: it says we just crossed midfield.

It’s completely unapologetic about playing to the media deck.

Foreign policy-wise, it’s elegantly balanced between cooperation and going it alone. Otherwise, the message is singular leadership. We’re on NATO’s team but we’re quarterbacking. Midway between English (United States) and French (États-Unis), it’s still all about us.

(photo: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama throws a football on the field at Soldier Field following the NATO working dinner in Chicago, Illinois, May 20, 2012.)