The GOP Mood

Most of the wire photos (1, 2) on Wednesday — offering Republican’s Mike Pence, Minority Whip Eric Cantor (headless) and Minority Leader Boehner reacting to Obama’s stimulus plan– were more accommodating than this. As already noted, Obama swept into the Capitol that day to meet with the Republican leadership, then he drowned them out of the press coverage.

Boehner and company have been pretty brash in contesting the legislation, which not a single Republican House member voted in favor of Thursday. In this photo, by the excellent Washington photographer Melina Mara, she takes an unvarnished look at the “emotional underside” — as well as the risk being felt climbing out on that limb.

(image Melina Mara-TWP. January 28, 2009. Via WAPO Day in Photos, January 29, 2009)