Poking Fun of Politicos, Internet Humor, and Myth

There is no telling, for the moment, if this picture is a fake. It's almost too ironic to not be a fabrication. Nevertheless, the image becomes important as it is contribute to the cultural pathology of myth-making. The myth that the president is stupid or an idiot comes to us in many forms, but images that pass for news pictures are particularly problematic. Like the World Trade Center "Tourist Guy" picture, there is no shortage of Internet art that turns a serious situation in a joke. The idea that millions of people around the world are no receiving an email showing Bush peering through binoculars with the lens caps still on plays to our more cynical side. Our emotional reaction is to laugh, but if the moment is factual -- not a digital manipulation -- then the laughter may turn to tears.