Changing Landscape

When I put these two photos together eleven days ago, I was thinking about the “political topography” separating Bush and Obama, and especially, the “real America” attacks from the right wing and the conservative press. With Emanuel being tapped for Chief-of-Staff, the attitude seemed to quickly “double-down” in hostility toward Chicago and big city politics.

Like I said, though, that was almost two weeks ago.

With the Obama team in only a beginning shape, and hardly flexing in the face of drastic problems, the tone has already shifted. I wouldn’t go so far as saying there is new respect for the urban street, but with the second image, from December 2001 — the faux-cowboy Bush crossing his legs and Tommy “Greet Us As Liberators” Franks aligned with the barren trees — one starts to get a whole new picture of who’s tough.”

(image 1: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP. caption: Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., center, walks down an alley with a member of his staff while talking on his cell phone as he leaves his local congressional office for the night, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 in Chicago. Emanuel has accepted the job of White House chief of staff. image 2: Susan Sterner/White House. Crawford, Texas, December 28,2001.)