Don’t think and drive. Leave that up to me.

1. Mike 09.11.06 / 3pm

   What an ass.
2. Mike 09.11.06 / 3pm

   Forgot to mention that the idiots who produced this doormat need to be beaten with their own shoes.
3. Jake 09.11.06 / 4pm

   I really wonder who thought it was a good idea to put that on a floormat?
4. James 09.11.06 / 4pm

   this look shopped

   i can tell from some of the pixels and from seeing quite a few shops in my time
5. Joel 09.11.06 / 4pm

   I hope to all that is holy that it is ’shopped. But Reuters has been rather stringent about that given the recent events in photojournalism.

   It is a lower-resolution copy of the photo. I took it from a screenshot of the Reuters page.
6. laxstx 09.11.06 / 4pm

   If this isn’t shopped… unbelievable! Actually, it’s BUSH, I take that back – very believable.
7. James 09.11.06 / 4pm

   It’s ridiculously obviously shopped, duder. The lighting on the president is not consistent with the background. The perspective on the mat and his foot is all wrong. hoaxxxxxxed
8. A. Fischer 09.11.06 / 4pm

   It definitely looks fake (which could be why it isn’t blowing up all over the place). I also can’t find a higher resolution version of the photo to really take a peek.
9. pix 09.11.06 / 4pm

   Not a bush basher here, but I think it’s real, though it looks fake to me. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/060911/ids_photos_ts/r2976054383.jpg
10. gene witt 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Looks like a “documentary” photo by move on . org
11. Dean 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Meh, if it’s photoshopped, it wouldn’t be the first time. I mean it is Reuters.

    I’ve got to admit, it is a weird angle though.
12. antonios 09.11.06 / 4pm

    The reason why the lighting doesn’t seem to match is that there’s a spotlight focused on the wall. What do you think those 3 lights to the right of Bush’s head are? There’s another one that’s above his head out of the photo projecting the different light. He matches with the rest of the ambient light in the photo.

    Do any of you know how to actually use photoshop, or are you just all professional fake spotters?
13. James 09.11.06 / 4pm

    No man, I get paid for this.
14. Joel 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Please. Let’s not get into a flame war over whether it’s ’shopped or not. Either way, the President or Reuters have some explaining to do.

    I just thought it was fitting. I don’t know how anyone could have missed it.
15. hibob 09.11.06 / 4pm

    years back a republican running for city council in Chicago was doing the patriot schtick, and one of the freebies he handed out was a car door window handle (this was the ’70s) trash bag with the flag on it. Mike Royko (an excellent columnist) killed his campaign in one article when he pointed out the candidate was asking people to fill the flag with garbage and then throw it away.

    Did any one make it to the 9/11 memorial/campaign fundraiser dove shoot?
    sounded like fun.
16. Jeff 09.11.06 / 4pm

    I just wanted to take this chance to say along with all of you how much I hate Mr. Bush. He is the antichrist. He is the cause of every evil thing ever visited upon mankind. He is an uneducated, unattractive, inarticulate, stupid, insane Hitler. Now all you libs can go back to your groups and console yourselves with these words. I can tell from your posts this is obviously what you discuss at your meetings. Grow up and get a freaking life. What a bunch of losers you are. Maybe that’s why your party can’t put together a winning set of ideas (BTW: Armchair quarterbacking isn’t a policy for victory, it only affirms, in my mind, that you really do not have any ideas). I am an independent but I hope to God that you don’t win any power until you know how to use it. (And the proper use is not threatening ABC because they show some stupid mini-series. Where were you when Fahrenheit 911 was in theaters?) Get a clue! You losers can’t even call him president. Yeah, I trust this picture on this site. I guess I’m just another uneducated mid-westerner.
17. Mike 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Regardless of whether the shot is shopped, the point is; Some morons made a doormat with the flag on it!
18. Recruiter 09.11.06 / 4pm

    The funny thing is that there is some over paid govt yahoo that is put in charge of designing these things…The even funnier thing is that as this get further out on the internet this guy gets closer to loosing his job. But thats OK because he is about to make his first million by supplying every Islamic Fundementalist America Hater in the world with the door mats to complete the decor of thier new sand hovel.
19. Joel 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Jeff, despite what you may feel about the “libs” (I’m a registered Independant), and despite my personal distrust for Presidet Bush (elected twice by the currently accepted political process in our country), I didn’t mean for this to turn into a bling Bush bashing post.

    However, he has shown an exceptional aptitude for disregarding even the most simple of policy and proceedure. That was my simple point.

    You may now drink your Kool-Aid.
20. Sean 09.11.06 / 4pm

    Of coruse the photo os shopped! Hmm.. lets see the President and the ifrst Lady are stepping on a doormat that is front of a WALL!!! To top that off as many of you have pointed out the perspective is wrong, the lighting is wrong, the Presideant and the first lady are from a different photo. Hell even the Memoral wall behind them was erased by mistake to make room for the sidewalk.

    As for the outrage that there is an American Flag Dorrmat, have you been living in a cave for the lat 2 decades!?! They have been around ofr a long time. Along with state seals, badge insignas, school logos, the names of bars. This is nothing new and the fact that they made one for 9/11 is no surprise at all. This is just more evidance that you should take everyting in with a grain of salt!
21. Dman 09.11.06 / 5pm

    Hmmm.. Let’s see here. Fahrenheit 9/11: most fact checked documentary in history. Path to 9/11: Dramatized version of what the GOP wishes happened, but the 9/11 comission report says did not. Thers’s no comparison, one is reality and the other a Republican fantasy.

    Then ABC plays this completely fake, right wing funded “docudrama” on network TV on the anniversary of 9/11. This also just so happens to coincide with Bushs big speech tonight. Wake up and smell the propaganda. ABC = the new Faux News.

    Whether it’s photoshopped or not, the man is doing figuratively in the picture what he continues to do literally in real life. Walking all over real American and Christian values.

    This is the worst U.S. President in all of history. God help us all.
22. luke 09.11.06 / 5pm

    i’m glad i’m not an american and he’s not my president…
23. Michael 09.11.06 / 5pm

    Fahrenheit 9/11: most fact checked …. Give me a break you moron religious nut. That’s the most ridiculous piece of partisan crap ever made. I’m no fan of the current republicans either, but this post makes it clear you’re a complete idiot.
24. Jay 09.11.06 / 5pm

    It’s photoshopped. Their feet are floating above the mat and floor because the perspectives don’t match, and what is that junk/mistake behind him? For such a important event, they would have make the place spotless.
25. astrofrank 09.11.06 / 5pm

    Firstly: this is an extremely obvious fake, as stated multiple times. You cannot bring something like this to the public and claim truths about someone with it if it’s not real.

    Secondly, “Disregarding policy and procedure” is kind of a relative statement… it’s based on what someone regards as proper policy. As for the official U.S. policies, I can think of one and only one instance where Bush, as President, has come close to breaking the law, and this is the NSA issues. 9/11 has nothing to do with him disregarding procedure. You can say his response was pathetic, but you can’t say he did anything wrong with it.

    Thirdly, I think a doormat with a flag on it is patriotic and supportive. Just because you step on it, it negates its intended message? It’s a DOORMAT. It’s not even a real flag. I encourage people to have doormats with flags.

    Finally, I’d like to inform Dman that if Fahrenheit 911 is the “most fact checked documentary in history,” then I’m Michael Moore. Don’t forget that Moore (or I, if you please) is making money from his sensational documentaries. Even if it is the “most fact checked,” there isn’t much fact, because there isn’t much actual material. He goes around and bothers senators, interviews traumatized mothers, and shows the same clip over and over again from different angles. And also, don’t forget that ABC is ALSO making money from its dramatic new program. They’re in it for the cash. There’s only a limited amount of respect you can half for either of them.

    So, to recap: It’s definitely a fake photo, it doesn’t mean anything anyway, and don’t be a sucker for dramatic programming.
26. Peter H 09.11.06 / 5pm

    Code Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1 section 8

    (b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
    (c) The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.

    (e) The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
27. astrofrank 09.11.06 / 5pm

    Peter H:

    I don’t believe that’s an actual “law.” Also, are you incriminating all those poor old residents of chinatown who are sympathetic to the American dream and just want to sell flag merchandise to make a few bucks to bring home to their families?
28. Zigg 09.11.06 / 5pm

    This whole pic seems wrong.. where the hell are they..?? & why “IS” there a door-mat laying on a marble floor (diagonally..) right in the middle…?
    ~Z
29. scottie 09.11.06 / 5pm

    There are other possibilities.

    Maybe this easily refuted image is a plant
    to cause a ruckus on the “liberal” weblogs,
    whereupon the “conservatives” can slam it
    because it is so obvious – thereby defaming
    the reliability of the images we use to define
    our reliability.

    Anyone remember Dan Rather?

    There is nothing new about this.
    Still photos are unreliable.

    The only thing my father ever told me
    that made any sense was, “Believe none of
    what you read, and only half of what you see”.
30. reggie 09.11.06 / 6pm

    “(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it”

    All this coffin-draping must stop immediately.
31. Matt 09.11.06 / 6pm

    Photo of Laura Bush walking on it:

    http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20060911/i/r2153329008.jpg?x=380&y=247&sig=RJhdTgC8jCdcs.iQggiZuw–
32. Matt 09.11.06 / 6pm

    http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20060911/i/r2153329008.jpg?x=380&y=247&sig=RJhdTgC8jCdcs.iQggiZuw%E2%80%93
33. Dre 09.11.06 / 6pm

    When I first saw this picture I thought it was a piece of art work, with W and the lady made out of wax.
34. minT 09.11.06 / 6pm

    i think everyone is missing the awful, heart-wrenching IRONY of the frikkin image! here is the man most responsible for 9/11 and the steady demoliton of our most fundamental rights and freedoms, and he’s wiping his feet on the flag and 9/11! perhaps a more fitting tribute would be a bronze of george II, pants around his ankles, wiping his ass with our constitution.
35. trr 09.11.06 / 6pm

    They’re not stepping on a flag, but on a mat with an image of a flag on it. just to be pedantic.
36. minT 09.11.06 / 6pm

    like piccasso said” art is the lie that reveals to us the truth.”
37. Eric 09.11.06 / 6pm

    *Sigh*

    NOT a fake.

    They’re presenting a commemorative mat, that’s why they’re standing on the mat in the front of the 9/11 Mural.

    The lighting looks wonky because they’re front-lit by either natural or fluorescent light and backlit by the incandescents. Take a look at Bush’s right shoe – it’s reflecting the orange light that’s lighting the mural. Both he and Laura show the incandescent backlighting – Take a look at the light/shadow on Laura’s neck, as well as that on the President’s face and right hand. Take a look at the lighting of the concrete they’re standing on – see the transition from orange-ish, as lit by the incandescents, to blue-ish, as lit by the natural light?

    Just because a picture shows something you don’t like doesn’t mean it was ’shopped.

    Oh, and just because you say you’re an independent doesn’t make you one. If you’re gonna side with the same party on EVERY issue and policy, you’re pretty much giving up the whole “Independent” bit.
38. Josh 09.11.06 / 6pm

    http://photos.reuters.com/Pictures/default.aspx?WTmodLoc=HP_L1_LeftNav-16

    Reuters thinks it’s real.
39. robert 09.11.06 / 7pm

    I want a doormat with President Bush on it.
40. Jake 09.11.06 / 7pm

    My Lord Joel, what have you done?
41. Rocko 09.11.06 / 7pm

    The use of the Orwell quote in this case is stupid – Tad, you’re a buckethead
42. Invisible 09.11.06 / 7pm

    Oh Come ON!! Not that I want to be rude or something but it’s JUST A FLAG!!! And I’m certain the president didn’t intend to step on it. I don’t understand what people are getting so worked up about… It wasn’t a big deal because it was an accident.
    Cheers.
43. Josephine 09.11.06 / 7pm

    WTF. It’s a doormat. What do you want them to do with it, frame it and stick it on a wall? Calm down people, damn. If them standing on a -gasp- DOORMAT is all you have to argue over, consider yourselves blessed and lucky.
44. astrofrank 09.11.06 / 7pm

    Actually, saying you’re an independent, by definition, makes you one.
45. DJOcala 09.11.06 / 7pm

    Uou are forgetting that George Bush as the president is also a national symbol.
46. Edward Brown 09.11.06 / 8pm

    I think this is an issue of people finding any dumb reason they can to complain about Bush.

    Which American here has never placed an image of a flag on the floor, in the garbage can, in the dirt, or anywhere that is listed in the regulations that asinine fools pull out and quote to make it sound like they some intelligence?

    Think about it.
    Flag images in magazines . . .
    Flag images on clothing . . .
    Flag images on those poorly colored school projects you did as a kid . . .

    How many here complaining about this photo would defend someone wadding up a flag at a rally? If this bothers you and that does not then that makes you a hypocrite who pretends to be offended simply because you don’t like the person in the picture.

    That picture is an image of a flag. IT IS NOT A FLAG.
    That is created as part of a memorial. HE IS NOT TRYING TO OFFEND.
47. maya0 09.11.06 / 8pm

    I think its as real as real can get. It made me laugh, and thats what makes this picture real to me.
48. Jorge Lavaton 09.11.06 / 8pm

    The American flag is a symbol of “freedom”?
    Where?
    In Chile?
    El Salvador?
    Nicaragua?
    Please.
49. TomFromIndiana 09.11.06 / 8pm

    Ok… here’s what probably happened. I don’t think that it was a doormat. It looks more like a decorative rug. From what I have read in the US Flag Code. creating a full image of the flag on a doormat is just wrong. My guess is the photographer wanted to capture the Bushes standing “behind” the rug. I am guessing that people were moving all around and the photographer got whatever shot he could given how much was going on. It is hysterical, however, that had the flag desecration passed (which would have been just plain stupid) the President and the carpet’s creator would have both broken the law according to the definition of how the flag is to be treated in US Flag code. Hey… I don’t mean to defend the guy. I think we should be more afraid of him than we are of Militant Islamics, but in this case, it’s likely an honest mistake.
50. Joel 09.11.06 / 8pm

    You know, I can’t help but sit here and laugh at the lot of you.

    The debate over whether these photos are photoshopped is ridiculous. Give Reuters the credit for doing some fact checking. Escpecially since nearly everyone in the press that folows the president would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that George Bush was at that function. They would be all over the Reuters photo editor’s ass if they could prove that the organization published a fake photos.

    Secondly, my political leanings certainly are to the left. But that doesn’t make me a liberal weenie (certainly not a Michael Moore fan) or someone trying to subvert the government by stirring up shit.

    Third, what is a flag if it is not a particular set of colors and shapes that is representative of the Nation? If I print the flag on paper (which is forbidden by section i of USC Sec. 8), muslin (not Mulsim), cotton, burlap, etc, is it the flag. What if I take two boards, nail them together in a slightly “crosslike” fashion and set them on fire. Would you say that I’m not “cross burning because no Messiah ever hung on the cross? Of course not. Because you recognize a symbol for what it is.

    Fourth, astrofrank, while the USC (United States Code) may not carry penalties for infraction, it is certainly law. I reference the following Sec. 8. Respect for flag. As to whether it is appropriate to drape caskets for the falen, this is allowes per the previous section Sec. 7. Position and manner of display.

    My whole point in this is that even the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES doesn’t know the proper respect for one of the strongest (apparently not any more) symbols we have as a Nation. We don’t teach this stuff to our children. Nobody gave any thought to putting the flag on something that was going to be trampled on.

    I have NEVER thrown away the image of the US Flag. At picnics, if there are paper plates and napkins with the flag, I opt for another alternative. Because I have respect for the country and those who founded it. I do not have much respect for those at the reigns currently. This goes for both Dems, Greenies, and the G.O.P.

    Mr. Bush is not trying to offend. But his ignorance, as well as many people, is as offensive as if he were spitting on it.

    But that’s just my opinion, you don’t have to agree with it.
51. poppa mcfly 09.11.06 / 9pm

    Your page really attracts some sick people.

    The rule is you cannot use the flag itself. The image in the floormat, though possibly in poor taste, is not against the rule.
52. Joel 09.11.06 / 9pm

    Thanks, Dad.

    Though you might not choose to adhere to a law proposed by a Clinton, the Flag Protection Act of 2005 states,
    

    “Definition of Flag of the United States- In this section, the term `flag of the United States’ means any flag of the United States, or any part thereof, made of any substance, in any size, in a form that is commonly displayed as a flag and that would be taken to be a flag by the reasonable observer.”

    I guess we have logically proven that those who think this is “no big deal” are not reasonable. *snerk*

    So, are you starting to regret all those Boy Scout meetings you took me to when I was a kid? *winks*
53. alex 09.12.06 / 12am

    I can assure your this is a fake/photoshopped. The perspective is off, and so are the shadows. If you think this is real becuase of the Reuters tags, then try to watch the slideshow or see any other pictures from this slideshow. FAKE Fake fake.
54. Claire 09.12.06 / 1am

    Um, can you fly a doormat off a flagpole?
55. jere7my 09.12.06 / 1am

    Alex, I have no trouble seeing the other 11 photos in the Reuters slideshow. If you are alleging that this is a fake, then you are accusing Reuters of inventing, then releasing several Photoshopped images of, a major Presidential event that dozens of reporters and government officials presumably witnessed—and, more than that, of writing a paragraph to describe this event that “never happened.” I agree that the lighting is unusual, but if this really is a fake, hosted on the Reuters site and on Yahoo!, then we’ve got the makings of an enormous scandal. Reuters would have no dream of getting away with it, and I have trouble even guessing at a thought process that could lead to them releasing it (and the White House not immediately disavowing it).
56. antonios 09.12.06 / 1am

    I can assure you this is NOT photoshopped, or is an INCREDIBLE piece of work. I’m a professional that uses photoshop every day. If you want the myriad reasons why this is not a fake, read backwards.

    The real reason I’m posting is to remind why this is more relevant than just the President disrespecting the flag — he and the Congressional Republicans are making an election-year issue of a flag burning amendment. Did anyone see any of the debate on C-Span? The impassioned protection for a symbol that was pontificated? Draw your own conclusions, but someone in the picture seems to be a bit of a hypocrite, and it ain’t Laura.
57. Jim 09.12.06 / 1am

    Freedom is fake. Liberty a hoax. The photoshopping of the American dream.
58. Gunther 09.12.06 / 6am

    Looks to me that the USA has only on thing left to brag about: Their flag.
    Typicall symptom of a land in decline, more worrying about a symbol then for what it stands…

    sad.. very sad
59. Marcus 09.12.06 / 6am

    To “alex”:
    You can see the real slideshow at the address below. The picture on this site is a screen capture; that’s why if you click “previous” or “next”, nothing happens.

    http://photos.reuters.com/pictures/Slideshow.aspx?id=0&name=632935502926093750&kw=
60. James 09.12.06 / 7am

    BoingBoing’s credibility is hurt by linking to a photoshop pic. (Regardless of the hilarious “I am a photoshop expert and I know that this is real…blah blah blah”)
61. A Flag is a flag 09.12.06 / 8am

    So to all the naysayers stating that since this was merely an image of a flag on a doormat, is it ok to burn it then? What about a mattress sheet with a flag painted on it? Or drawings of

    What if a brown-skinned, Middle-Eastern official was photographed doing the same? 7:10 odds there would be calls for war. “Nuke ‘em. Let God sort it out.” Boo-fucking-hoo.

    As someone else said, you recognize it as a symbol regardless of whether or not the item itself conforms to official dimensions. Get your heads out of W’s small intestine (see what I did there?), and don’t be the hypocrites that your parents raised (see what I did there again?).

    GTFO. DIAF.
62. some guy 09.12.06 / 8am

    The same people that are pointing fingers at W. want to burn the flag…It doesn’t make sense
63. Hellary 09.12.06 / 8am

    If this were anyone else in the photograph most of you wouldn’t give a shit. This is more thoughtless Bush bashing. Last time I checked, doormats are meant to be stepped/walked on. If you have a problem with the ‘image’ of the American flag being printed on it, take your misplaced anger out on whoever created it. While you’re at it, go ahead and raise hell about the image of the flag being printed on virually everything else imaginable. I bet the majority of you who saw a mat like this laid out on a floor in a public place wouldn’t even notice it, much less do anything about it.
64. DeanMartini 09.12.06 / 9am

    Hellary, you know something? You are right. If it was anyone else besides the President of the United States of America, I wouldn’t give a flying fuck. However if it was Clinton, Reagan, Kennedy, or even the original G.W. I would be just a little angry.

    Maybe it’s because I went to school in the Midwest, or because I’ve spent most of my life working for the government that I see the flag as something a little bit more than just a cloth blowing in the wind. When I travel overseas, I do get a bit choked up when I see my countries flag flying somewhere over than my hotel. Yes, as hooky as it sounds, I love my flag.

    When I see it on a god damn floor mat, it just makes me a little bit angry, and I don’t walk on it. However when some PR flunky thinks it’s a good idea to put this down in front of a president, and no one realizes that it’s a breach of protocol, not to mention good taste, you can see why some people would get upset.

    Before you warm you fingers up, getting ready to flame me about being a hypocrite, I have never owned a shirt with the American flag on it. I never put one on the little stick from my car window; I do take mine down at night, and never fly it in the rain. While I’m not as anal about it as the webmaster here, I do know enough to show respect for something many of my fellow countrymen have done extraordinary things to protect.
65. Angela Fitzgerald 09.12.06 / 9am

    LOOK AT BOINGBOING ARCHIVES FOR JANUARY 06. IT IS A NOT A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!http://boingboing.net/2006_01_01_archive.html It is a work by Ray Ceasar
66. The Dingo 09.12.06 / 9am

    Has it run in any newspapers yet?

    Story, comment, about the pics now up at the ‘Last Days Of President George W. Bush’ blog.

    http://www.lastdaysofpresidentbush.blogspot.com
67. Jake 09.12.06 / 9am

    Joel, like I said before, it’s like Fark rolled over the T&D, trashed the place, and didn’t leave a tip.

    Except instead of Fark, it’s the Yahoo message boards, and by tip, I mean a reach around.

    At least we get new Mac products today.
68. Bat Guano 09.12.06 / 9am

    SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!!!!!! – er – THERE IS NO RAY CEASAR ON THAT PAGE!!!!

    I thought it must have been photoshopped, but there’s no evidence of it, and Reuters and/or whoever put that up woud be in deep doo-doo if it were.

    It’s just more evidence that our president is a callous, shallow, idiot.
69. Angela 09.12.06 / 9am

    yes there is a Ray Ceasar on that page and the same guy posted it on boingboing both that day and yesterday.
70. Dman 09.12.06 / 10am

    Let me start of by saying this clearly. I am an Independant.

    To my buddys who don’t believe that Fahrenheit 9/11 is the most fact checked documentary in history, I say “look it up”. This is simply the cold hard truth, and if you had actually seen the movie you’re commenting on, you would know this. For those who don’t believe that extreme right wing money funded The Path to 9/11, check out huffingtonpost, there’s a long article describing all the ties that bind. Basically the Republicans were tired of Hollywood being left leaning, and started a production company to counter that.

    If the Republicans could prove that Michael Moore lied or that Reuters posted a fake photo, don’t you think they would? Ask Dan Rather if the right is forgiving in that respect. Faux News would love nothing more than to cry “liberal media” wolf I assure you.

    Finally to anyone in this thread who has attacked me personally, calling me a “moron”, “idiot”, or “religous nut”, I would like to say take a step back. Look at yourself spewing so much venom for a person, a fellow American, that you don’t even know, just for having an opposing opinion. No matter your hatred, reality still exists. It just so happens that at this point in history reality has a well known liberal bias. Deal with it.
71. Norellicus 09.12.06 / 10am

    Um hello, if this is real where are his SS agents? Sorry, but they never give the president that much space, and there would be people/barricades/something on both sides of the ‘photo op’ area where he’s supposedly standing (i.e., if they meant the area with the doormat to be a point for taking pictures, there would be barriers up all around it), rather than leaving this wonderful open gap for anyone to run in from either side and do whatever they would please.

    It’s such a laughably fake picture, the president isn’t even looking out to where the crowd should be, and unless he has an affinity for doing the Hokey Pokey, his stance is completely moronic.

    Give the man SOME credit, he at least has a certain amount of personal presence to know how to stand upright and look like the POTUS.
72. mdh 09.12.06 / 10am

    Just for a more direct link to what Angela is saying.
    http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/12/ray_caesers_sweet_vi.html
73. Joel 09.12.06 / 10am

    While I’d love to believe that’s really a post from January, I think this is a case of the filename being reused. If you open that page and the one from yesterday, the filenames on those images are identical.

    Besides, this doesn’t look like one of Ray Caesar’s pieces. Perhaps BoingBoing can comment?
74. M.Sphinx 09.12.06 / 11am

    yes there is a Ray Ceasar on that page and the same guy posted it on boingboing both that day and yesterday.

    The pictures on both BoingBoing posts have the same url, http://www.boingboing.net/Picture%208-4.jpg. Most likely the guy called the two pictures the same name and now the old Ray Caesar photo disappeared.

    Ray Caesar paints Mark Rydenesque digital pictures of children, not political photoshop jobs.

    http://www.raycaesar.com/pages/GalleryIndex.html
75. mdh 09.12.06 / 11am

    It is in the middle of the January archive of Boing Boing (as Angela suggested above). I pulled out the permanent link to go directly to the site separately. I don’t know how much sophistication it would take to fit in the archive. And I agree, it doesn’t look like Ray Caeser’s other works. But then he could easily have a variety of works and updated his website.
76. L. Ron Drunkard 09.12.06 / 12pm

    Wow, if there is a better indicator of our democracy’s decline than this discussion I defy one to show me. The biggest strength, no, I should say most important requirement, of a democracy is an educated populace, and the “debate” on this issue is proof positive of our failing education system. Most of you can’t seem to articulate a logical argument, let alone understand one. And I shouldn’t even get into such “abstract” notions as irony, which it appears most of you cannot recognize, not to mention define (hint: That Alanis Morrissette song is not the place to find the answer).

    Although, I should get into it because irony is the FREAKING CORE of the whole damn issue! Let’s just take a look at the many levels on which it is working…

    First, if the photo is real, the irony is ENORMOUS (I’m not going to bother explaining why). If it is a fake, it’s still a damn good piece of art because it makes a statement about the ACTUAL ironic things this president does every day! Better yet, itcould be an actual piece of Ray Ceasar artwork in which case the irony falls on all of you photoshop “experts” out there (pro or con) (btw, none of you professionals in image analysis better let your bosses see these posts or you’d likely get fired for incompetence). But better still (and this is what I am hoping for), it could be a fake piece of Ray Ceasar artwork passed off as a real, faked photo. Now that would be simply delicious and probably far too complex for most of you to get your head around.

    we are all doomed…
77. mdh 09.12.06 / 12pm

    Thinking it over, over lunch, I’m guessing this is what happened. Boing-Boing has its image files in a single (big-ass huge) archive. It named its more recent photo the same as the one in January and now January links to it. I would have thought that Boing-Boing used some subdirectories. A coincidence on top of this? The January link was for a digital artist.
    What the drunkard said, the irony is that reality has completely blended with satire so you can’t tell the difference whether an artist is making Bush look bad, or Bush did it himself.
78. Alpha Land 09.12.06 / 12pm

    yup, the white jet is real. i saw it in 2 years after 9-11-01. curious on where its at??? lets say its about 15 miles from dc. for the smart ppl out there, im sure you all can figure out where;) need a clearance?,,no not really. just one simple word to gain access;) bush did let a few plans roll when faa ordered ALL aircraft to be grounded. the terrorists,,,sorry ppl but they were there and did take control of the plans that flew into the wtc. and btw for the really smart ppl out there?? find out where the plan tickets where (reserved) for the flights. i know;) tsa ring a bell? faa requires like 20 to 30 tests each hour along with their every day job at the air ports. guess what?? they know these are tests but fail to (push) the botton. liquids? naaa, try c4 baby! take a 17 pack of gum. made out of what? like a foil type? lets say you cut 17 sticks of gum in half. fill the bottom of the wrapper with c4 and glue the half sticks of gum at the end, making it look like a full pack of gum. x-ray shows what????? guess what else rolls through the e-rays,,,guns!! omg how about sharp objects known as box razors. hummmm,,,lets see what else,,,,tell ya what,if anyone wants to know more and willing to know more,,i have tons of stuff…i like to keep annominous bc i due value my life bc the gov. likes to off ppl who pose a threat against ppl who (know more than they should)
79. Joel 09.12.06 / 12pm

    I’m sorry. Can you please phrase your statement in the form of intelligible thought?

    *kidding*
80. Michael 09.12.06 / 1pm

    My god, what a bunch of idiots this thread attracted. Bush hating has attracked all the mentally deranged, the conspiracy nuts, the morons with IQs lower than their age. If there ever was a graphic demonstration that Bush is right, and the right person for the times, and that his most vocal critics are irrelevant, it is this thread.
81. Norellicus 09.12.06 / 1pm

    Alpha Land:

    Don’t forget your tinfoil hat. You never know when the evil govt is going to turn on the braindrain switch and use the TV to steal your brainwaves!
82. Spankbot 09.12.06 / 2pm

    My only question is who is the dumbfuck who put it on the floor? Oh and Tad – you’re forgetting your meds again!
83. Adam Ghaznavi 09.12.06 / 2pm

    Caution cadres. Do you remember how Karl Rove set up Dan Rather over some obscure point on the Bush war record, leading to a partial cauterization of the entire issue? I smell something similar here, the idea is more likely than not to get a really good head of steam going behind this BEFORE springing the trap & `proving’ what utter lowlife the 9/11 Truth Movement is, thus discrediting everything done/ said by ALL factions (from the Let it happen brigade to the made it happen brigade, to the anti petrodollar brigade) particularly in the run up to the Iran war. I suggest we all make big play the OTHER way suggesting that this may be the case, pointing at the gibet of Dan Rather twisting in the wind…
84. adam 09.12.06 / 2pm

    I am a graphic designer and this is shopped.
85. Joel 09.12.06 / 2pm

    I am the author of this blog and I demand proof of that statement.

    Seriously. Nobody has offered even any reasonable evidence. Now, I’m still not saying it’s real. I’m simply saying I found it posted to a somewhat reputable news source.

    But, until someone gives me a reasonable evaluation of the photos, we out to assume it’s legit and consider the rammifications of Mr. Bush’s oversight.

    It’s been pointed out that the floormat is the property of the Fire Co. hw was visiting. Fine. They lost people. I can understand their wanting to commemorate. But why didn’t SOMEONE point out the poor judgement in printin the flag on a FLOORMAT? That’s my question. And doesn’t the White House have people who check out locations before the President visits? Are they not aware of proper flag ettiquitte? Why didn’t ANYONE point this out? Maybe mention to the President that he might not want to step on the flag while in the presence of photographers.

    I’m not saying he’s purposefully disrespecting the flag. I’m simply pointing out that the flag was an afterthought.
86. DeanMartini 09.12.06 / 2pm

    “adam Says:

    September 12th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
    I am a graphic designer and this is shopped. ”

    Tell me, are you getting a kick out of these replys?
87. Janek Mann 09.12.06 / 4pm

    Argh, this is the third time I’m typing a comment, each time getting “Invalid security code”… think your spam protection is a tad over-zealous, especially since it’s messing up Firefox’s backbutton handling too, it seems.

    Anyway, to me this doesn’t look like an oversight, but like a deliberately staged photo-op. And if it wasn’t for some people’s sensibilities with regards to the flag, it’d make a nice, symbolic kind of image, along the lines of “Mission Accomplished”, no?

    Everything is arranged just so, the lighting on the backdrop, the rug placed just there, holding hands and posing for the camera.

    So I’m left to wonder if it’s an oversight or if someone just set him up?
88. Norellicus 09.12.06 / 4pm

    You kind of promoted the whole flag-afterthought yourself, what with the subject matter of your post; it directs you to the point that George W Bush, a president rather disliked by many, is supposedly disrespecting the very flag that represents the country he was elected to represent and defend. Yes, it’s ironic, yes, there’s the point that the flag itself is an afterthought in the whole thing…but that’s not what you drew light to.
89. jere7my 09.12.06 / 4pm

    I emailed Jason Reed about this. Here is the full text of his response:

    Dear Jeremy, thanks for your email.

    My images of President Bush standing on the carpet have not been faked or digitally manipulated in any way. If one was to check the other news outlets that were represented at this event (about 8 in total, including The Associated Press, Agence France Press, Time Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, New York Post etc) you will see identical images from those news sources as well.
    Thanks for your attention.
    Jason Reed

    I am sure people will question my integrity now, but everyone is welcome to do the Google research to find his email address and write to him themselves. (Obviously, I think he would probably prefer not to receive a flood of emails on this subject, so I wouldn’t recommend that, and I’m not going to post his address.) I assert that this is indeed an email from the Jason Reed who took the photo, and at this point either I or he would have to be lying for it to be a fake.
90. Wes(tern) 09.12.06 / 4pm

    Getty has a different view (by a different photographer), that appears to confirm it as real:
    http://editorial.gettyimages.com/source/search/FrameSet.aspx?s=ImagesSearchState%7c0%7c0%7c-1%7c28%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c1%7c9%2f13%2f2006%7c9%2f5%2f2006%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c7%7c%7cbush%7c2233391784121335%7c0%7c0%7c0%7c0&p=7&tag=1
91. Wes(tern) 09.12.06 / 4pm

    Sorry about that, apparently direct linking to Getty does some funky stuff. Just search for
    george laura bush truck 10 fire station
    at
    http://creative.gettyimages.com/
    under the “Editorial” section.

    That’s how I found it, anyway.
92. Joel 09.12.06 / 4pm

    Yes, I know that CAPTCHA code thing is sort of messed up. I replaced an older one with this one. Sorry for the frustration.

    Here’s a link to the Getty page.

    Hope this convinces some people.
93. jere7my 09.12.06 / 4pm

    Well, the original image is real, but that Getty pic is clearly a fake.
    
94. Gary Denton 09.12.06 / 4pm

    What a bunch of moron fake photo experts, there are alternative views of this scene available. As the poster pointed out, Bush is known for not having the slightest regard for respect for the flag. This was a photo-op by the Prez to make him look good but he doesn’t care about those little details like stomping on the flag.
95. Jayna 09.12.06 / 6pm

    This is for Jeff on earlier. Adolph Hitler would not want to be compared with the Bushes! He had an empty government building bombed and blamed it on the Jews. The Bushes (W. seems to be a robot for his father in a regime lasting 25 years since Pres. Reagan was shot.) caused two commercial buildings to be destroyed along with thousands of working Americans. W. blamed this on Islamic terrorists lead by Osama Bin Laden who very likely was already dead by then. There are already hundreds of concentration camps set up in the U.S. for those who will not go along with his daddy’s “New World Order” under the Vatican!

    The Faith of Yahshua
    P.O. Box 9932
    Fountain Valley, CA 92728 USA
96. Christopher Pinsqweeze 09.12.06 / 7pm

    Everyone on here is a bunch of IDIOTS. Just go back to your porn sites and D&D games. No one here is interested in the truth. George Bush the so called Terrorists
    the american left and right, good vs. evil. It’s bullshit! It’s entertainment, your entertainment only until you have no job no money no home no family no protection, threat, danger and death everywhere around you. But that will never happen in America. At least not enough to really affect you. Your frig will always be full, the mall will be loaded full of usless shit, your mom’s grass will always be green, football will always be on monday night. Sure sometimes things might seem like there going wrong in this country but it only the rising cost of cable or just that your computer is obsoliet as well as your wardrobe. It’s no big deal just have a Coke and a smile
97. Joel 09.12.06 / 8pm

    Christopher, please use spell check nect time.
98. McScottie 09.12.06 / 9pm

    “supposedly disrespecting the very flag that represents the country he was elected to represent and defend.”

    The Presidential Oath of Office says,

    “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability,PRESERVE, PROTECT and DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.” (emphasis added)

    He’s doing a shitty job of defending the Constitution.
    They ALL do, but he’s by far the worst.
    The WORST.
99. Christopher Pinsqweeze 09.12.06 / 10pm

    I figured you would skip the point to criticize the grammar.
100. Bulwinkle 09.12.06 / 11pm

     Nah, it ain’t shopped. The draft dodger is a jack ass and unfortunately our great leader. MB
101. Henry 09.12.06 / 11pm

     Where do the people posting here get the idea that this guy even remotely has America’s best interest at heart? He’s been treating our country like a doormat two generations before he was even born (it actually does make sense.)
102. DAN RATHER 09.13.06 / 1am

     911 is Bush’s platform, he is standing on it as always. Who benefitted most eh?
103. Joel 09.13.06 / 4am

     I figured you would skip the point to criticize the grammar.

     Simply making a joke at the expense of a few typos. At least I didn’t criticize your political views.
104. Jake 09.13.06 / 8am

     Just as a final thread recap:
     It’s floormat, it’s a photoshop, it’s a bassomatic, it’s neither, suck it libs, suck it cons, check out the new ipods, politics is like wrasslin’, and then the crazy started.

     Did I miss anything?
105. Libby McLiberal 09.14.06 / 10am

     OK THIS PUTS ALL THE PHOTOSHOP QUESTIONS TO REST!

     IT IS A REAL PHOTO.

     LOTS OF PEOPLE SAW IT. TUCKER CARLSON PLAYED VIDEO OF IT!

     GO HERE TO SEE AN AP (NOT REUTERS BUT ASSOCIATED PRESS) PHOTO OF A DIFFERENT ANGLE.

     http://apnews.myway.com/image/20060910/SEPT_11_BUSH.sff_NYGH114_20060910201533.html?date=20060911&docid=D8K2CIV00
106. Joel 09.14.06 / 2pm

     The hits keep coming.

     

     Not posting these to further aggravate the situation. Just to finally end the photoshop debate. Get over it, people
107. Jake 09.14.06 / 2pm

     Is this Photoshopped, I never can tell.

     
108. Joel 09.14.06 / 3pm

     OMG! The president has been to SPACE! And he desecrated the flag there too!

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