Fresh From Elmo

Fresh from her meeting with Elmo in Indonesia, Condi Rice had a rough go in Australia where protests marred her appearance at the University of Sydney.  Inside the school’s Conservatorium of Music, students heckled her, then provided 45 minutes of critical questions on issues such as America’s international reputation and level of foreign aid.

In light of Rice’s capacity to charm, and the Administration’s tendency to twist reality to their own dictates, The BAG introduces the D.C. Split Screen to add some context to the visual spin.  In the top left shot, Rice is not outdoors in front of the elegant Bradfield bridge.  Instead, she’s inside the Conservatorium patronizing the skeptical student audience while protesters and police clash outside.

In this second screen, everything seems rosy as Rice, employing a toothy grin (and a democracy-themed recitation about her early life in Klan-infested Birmingham in the 1950’s and 1960’s) uses charm, and the perfectly framed back drop, to create her own narrative about who’s doing the pointing, and why.

(By the way, I apologize if the Administration was shortchanged a few pixels.  If you have a problem, please call the F.C.C.)

(Revised: 3/19/06. 3:02 pm PST)

(image  1, 3 and 4: Rob Griffith, Pool/A.P. March 16, 2006. Sydney, Australia.  Via YahooNews.  image 2:  Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/A.P. March 16, 2006. Sydney, Australia.  Via YahooNews.)