There's this image that is seared into my brain from a History 101 class. It's a portrait taken in the declining stages of the Holy Roman Empire. The king is Christlike, the throne beckons down from Heaven, and the Christian imagery is heavyhanded... You see angels pouring Holy water onto him.
I was taught that as the power of the King diminished (other forces were gaining power -- different beauracracies), the Christian imagery became more and more pronounced. This particular king had nothing of note to ascribe to himself. If I could find this photo on the web, or even scan the old handout, I'd post it here.
You should know what I'm getting here.
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Oh, and yes, I tend to think I (and everyone else who has pegged in on this meme) are entertaining ourselves. The "Trent Lott" photo in particular is something of a crock, and here Tom Daschle is before whatever the heck that background is:
