Sure, he could stop the war, but that would require a "decision," which doesn't seem to be his greatest strength.
Looking at the arrangement of the two posters in frame here, I find it hard to believe that Lee Jin-man came up with this shot without spending a few minutes waiting for the man pictured to come up with an Obamaesque facial expression.
Moving around in the crowd, carefully lining the posters up with The Man that has The Look. (Since when was that a part of a newswire photographer's job description, anyway?)
It would seem that the iconic connection wasn't lost on other wire stringers either, as Reuters and Getty try their hand at getting the same basic shot, too. (They fail miserably, of course, confirming once again that the Associated Press leads the world in manufacturing visual opinion.)
But hey, at least all of their carefully-coordinated visual alignments are about as natural as the protest at hand, which is put on by "NANUMMUNHWA global peace activities," the organization responsible for astroturfing this little media shindig. (Can you say International Socialist Party? Why, Yes, You Can!)
P.S.--Anyone else notice the irony of this particular blog commenting on the unusually artificial alignment of an AP photograph containing a Soviet-inspired poster based off of a ripped off AP photo?
Yeah, me too.
[ Daylife Link ]
A South Korean protester participates in a rally opposing U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the country and a dispatch of South Korean troops to Afghanistan, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)
Tags: AP lee jin-man #NewsInFocus
