In '08, We Could See Russia. This Year? I See London, I See France.

CLARIFIES THAT STUDENT IS REACTING BECAUSE MITT ROMNEY WILL BE POSING FOR A PHOTO DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF HER AND HER CLASSMATES – Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va. A student, right, reacts as she realizes Romney will crouch down directly in front of her and her classmates for the group photo.

— AP caption with correction.

It’s hard not to think that the campaign visuals we’re seeing right now are reflective of an exercise that is far too long, too cautious, too petty, too generic and too compromised by outside money and the overwhelming demand of raising still more cash. Could it be that the presidential campaign, forget that dire issues and decisions abound, is taking inspiration from the Netanyahu’s cartoonish appearance at the UN the other day?

I happen to love Evan Vucci’s photo, by the way. In spite of the caption correction issued by the AP, I think it’s completely fair to say that this girl in Fairfield (Team Romney making a late pitch to citizens coming of voting age around 2023) has caught the campaign with its pants down.

(photo: Evan Vucci/AP; screen grab: Obama for President. photo 2: Stan Honda/AFP/Getty)