The Twist in Egypt

If certain news images appear to double as editorials, the typical example usually manages to include just enough ambiguity to lay claim to innocence.  This shot seems right on that line.

Because I got such a late jump on the attenuated Iranian campaign, I thought I’d try and get more of a lead on the sprint in Egypt.

I like this image for so many reasons. 

Of course, we already know that the election is a twisted affair.  The fact the text is obscured on both sides speaks to conditional support all around.  And, this fragmentation of the person would also suggest that Mubarak is really not willing to face or fully put himself before the people. 

Also, I think the earthy/fleshy color of the building combined with the barely visible hanging laundry; the sliver of other ramshackle structures; and the “just-install-anywhere” cable and power lines create a sense of a common and domestic Egyptian life that the President would never fit into anyway. 

I look at this image and think, the man should be folded up.  It’s an insult to the dignity of this apartment otherwise.

(image: AP/Unattributed. Cairo August 15, 2005. In YahooNews)