Seeing The Enemy
It is easy to imagine the head of Blackwater as the Prince of Darkness, and the media have done a pretty good job of that. But what if Prince is a scapegoat for our collective sins and the all too easy willingness of the American public to allow their...
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Fighting in the Trenches
What makes the image all the more disturbing is that, according to his website, Senator Isakson served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966 to 1972. There is no evidence that this unit ever deployed, nor is there mention of his having served in Vietnam or in combat...
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The Fighting Romneys
This past week in Bettendorf, Iowa, Mitt Romney --the “family values” candidate who looks like Ward Cleaver -- was asked whether any of his five sons had served in the military or were planning on enlisting to fight the "war on terror."
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The Image at the End of the Tunnel
What we see is a thoroughly fragmented Iraq, a world of disconnected moments in space and time; although we clearly see what is there, it is hard to know what it might mean. We have no sense of context outside the vehicle and no basis for response to what...
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"W" On His Own Two Feet
The President seems to be looking for just about anything these days to prop himself up.
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There To Be Seen
This picture was taken at Ft. Benning, Georgia on January 11th, the day after President Bush announced his plan for the “surge” and while meeting with military personnel and their families. The striking visual argument stands in stark contrast to the president’s mantra that “I didn’t want to be...
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The Billary Problem
What do we do with Bill in pictures with Hillary? If Bill Clinton were as relatively lesser known or recognizable as most candidates for “First Lady,” the problem might be easier.
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Hillary And Obama:The Issue At Hand(s)
First, my attention was called to the fact that these images are more in line with what Kress and Van Leeuwen call “demand” pictures rather than “offer” pictures.... The third cover ambiguates all of this just a bit, but the eyes are still present, and we get the sense...
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"Iwo Jima? Uh Oh!"
A couple weeks ago, John Lucaites joined our discussion thread about a photo I posted from Greensburg, Kansas. John, along with Robert Hariman, are co-authors of the newly released No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy. Their book, and their theoretical approach to iconic photos,...
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