Where do these photos come from?
I don’t understand the set up or the stage that results in such photographs. Why is it set up in such a way that the Senate-beat photographers are getting these politicians at weird Kirby-esque angles?
(Incidentally, the Trent Lott photograph may be the “weak link” of this here page, even if Colin Powell’s “blowing” stage isn’t terribly threatening. In a later image, we got to see an image from that stage looking up Tom Daschle’s nostrils… and I don’t really know what the religious symbolism of that would could be contorted as being. I will have to refind one of the two or three Bush-halo images, either within my cache of images or from whatever page I just linked to — the old mdcplus page has run out on me…)
This Harry Reid image was taken after Reid closed down the Senate, so as to get the long-delayed next phase of the Iraq War Investigation. What I’m curious to find out is when the last time the Senate went into a closed session without being mutually agreed on before-hand. I heard the date of 25 years ago… so we can skim through these incidents… (and I invite you to check out the profile of former Judge / now Representative Alcee Hastings… the Jerry Springer Rule is in effect here, or more ignobably than Springer the Marion Barry Rule — I don’t know whether to congratulate his constitutes for looking past Hastings’s criminal and corruption misdeeds or to scorn them.)
Unfortunately the page does not show individual entries for these moments, so I don’t know what the last blind-siding job from one party to the other was. Nicaragua? The Panama Canal Treaty? (which was a right-wing cause de jour back in 1978.) If I had to bet, it would be the Panama Canal Treaty.
[ADDITIONAL EDIT: Daily Kos has a different photograph more flattering to Harry Reid and some distinctly religious-themed comments.]