Official White House Photographer Pete Souza tweeted a picture of President Obama speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone in the Oval Office about Ukraine, and no one really cared about a possible war or diplomacy. What mattered was . . . why was the President wearing blue jeans while talking on the phone?! Why wasn't he wearing a smartly tailored suit on a SATURDAY? People weren't incensed just that Obama was wearing jeans while speaking to another world leader, they were upset because the picture wasn't "staged" precisely to their liking. OPTICS!!!!
No, really. this happened . . .
Photo of President Obama talking on phone to Russian President Putin today from the Oval Office: http://t.co/tfuiVKHsq3
— petesouza (@petesouza) March 1, 2014Pete Souza responded to critics of the photo:
.@gzchef @Storyful I was official photog for Reagan too. He also wore casual clothes on weekends in the Oval Office. pic.twitter.com/tz61N7jkNs
— petesouza (@petesouza) March 3, 2014~~~~~~~~~~~
@petesouza he's in jeans. this is serious.
— Laura (@laurakazam) March 1, 2014Our modern media: Putin shirtless is "manly"; Obama in jeans trying to defuse WWIII is "bad optics".
— Liberal Librarian (@Lib_Librarian) March 2, 2014@JeffersonObama When Reagan and W. wore jeans in the Oval Office they were authentic manly men. When Obama does it he's uppity. #Facepalm
— Steve Dowdy (@Steverocks35) March 2, 2014Lamestream liberal media purposely ignoring the important issues, namely Obama wearing jeans in the oval office. #tcot
— David Weiner (@daweiner) March 1, 2014So, the most outrageous thing that happened today wasn't Putin invading Ukraine, but Obama wearing a jeans. #BlackPresidentSideEffects
— BWD (@theonlyadult) March 2, 2014BREAKING: Photo of both sides of the Putin/ Obama phone conversation today pic.twitter.com/TTsH1LDM6Y
— BuzzFeed Benny (@bennyjohnson) March 2, 2014You know, if I were Putin and I saw that pic of POTUS in jeans on my call, I'd think: "This wasn't a call I had to take too seriously."
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 1, 2014The reaction to the POTUS-in-jeans pic says it all: hard--core BHO fans have no concept of anything that happens in world beyond the WH.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 1, 2014@MrJABennett I don't think he sees POTUS as a serious man for many reasons, and this is one (small) one among those many.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@Kris_SacreBleu @neilclevine @Kellyatthebeach Not a disaster. Just too informal a shot to use when trying to communicate seriousness to VVP.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@TheWarRoom_Tom People are dying and fighting for thier sovereignty. Shame on you for ueing this for b.s. US politicking.
— lukiacostello (@UkeAmericanBflo) March 2, 2014@UkeAmericanBflo You may, in the words of Homer Simpson, take your sanctimony and cram it with walnuts. I've consistently supported UKR.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@KimShoeCrzy @TheWarRoom_Tom @Kellyatthebeach And I guarantee you from the time I spent in China, the Chinese will laugh at that photo.
— Neil Levine (@neilclevine) March 2, 2014@neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @TheWarRoom_Tom @Kellyatthebeach oh PLEASE! There R innumerable questionable #Putin photos pic.twitter.com/J87MlpAkJk
— DuneMyThing (@Kris_SacreBleu) March 2, 2014@Kris_SacreBleu @neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @Kellyatthebeach That's not the point. This one photo was important.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@TheWarRoom_Tom @neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @Kellyatthebeach we may never know the "monumental"role today's Oval Office photo played - lol
— DuneMyThing (@Kris_SacreBleu) March 2, 2014@Kris_SacreBleu @neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @Kellyatthebeach I never said monunmental. I said it wasn't helpful. And it wasn't.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@TheWarRoom_Tom @neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @Kellyatthebeach The Leaders of other nations are also familiar w our culture, doubt they'd react
— DuneMyThing (@Kris_SacreBleu) March 2, 2014@Kris_SacreBleu @neilclevine @KimShoeCrzy @Kellyatthebeach You're guessing, and you'd be wrong about that.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014Just to clarify, @TheWarRoom_Tom, your thesis?
Putin: "Obama!1! Jeans! WHAT?!! Okay then, invade Ukraine!1!"
Thanks for your expertise.
— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) March 2, 2014@TheObamaDiary @TheWarRoom_Tom Out west we have a saying, there's people who get the job done, and then there's suits. PBO gets the job done
— Beth Havens (@msbhavens1) March 2, 2014@msbhavens1 @TheObamaDiary I suppose that's why Assad's still in Syria and Putin's in Ukraine. Fair enough.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014How dare a black man to wear jeans in Oval Office while talking to Putin. Nerve! @grayhoodie @TheWarRoom_Tom @ScottyBurberry
— GRYKING (@GRYKING) March 2, 2014@TheWarRoom_Tom as someone who knows both fashion and mannerisms...POTUS today was dressed as most of the world's leaders would be.
— Dr. Scott! PhD (@ScottyBurberry) March 2, 2014@ScottyBurberry I appreciate your insight. But that was a carefully posed shot, and thus a missed op to communicate a bit more seriousness.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@ScottyBurberry Among ordinary folks, I defer to you. Among US and Russians, trust me on this.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014@TheWarRoom_Tom do you know how insane that sounds? I don'r think you realize the normality that image communicated. As in not a flake
— Dr. Scott! PhD (@ScottyBurberry) March 2, 2014@Nadomom @ScottyBurberry Unexpectedness? Crisis been going on for over a week. Should have been on this 24/7, not Casual Saturday.
— Tom Nichols (@TheWarRoom_Tom) March 2, 2014It is not hard to imagine an anti-Putin Ukraine joining NATO. All these facts are, at least, very suggestive. Any bright layperson can see.
— Barry Schwartz (@chemoelectric) March 2, 2014And yet we are supposed to take seriously someone complaining that the president is wearing jeans in a picture, because they are an ‘expert’
— Barry Schwartz (@chemoelectric) March 2, 2014LOS AMIGOS DE PUTIN.....THE GOP AVOIDS THIS PIC....The 3 Evil leaders in one Location....The idiot + A CIA & KGB SCUM pic.twitter.com/1PR5EXeL4Z
— backdoordraft (@boycotkochbros) March 2, 2014
