Before I start, this is only about the photo, not what was really going on, which none of us know about.
He looks afraid to me, just like the rest.
Of course there’s no posturing there. He saved that for his speech, where he used “I” or other first person singular references 15 times.
I’m sure his staff appreciated that.
Contrast that with Bush’s speech about the capture of Saddam where he used “I” only 4 times and in a completely different context:
Sorry, his facial expression and hunched-over position don’t say anything about intensity or confidence to me. It’s saying, “I’m apprehensive and very unsure” which is not unreasonable. IMO saying he was focused or something else is just spin. And as noted, Hillary said she was probably covering a cough, so there’s one data point of how people have read something into the photo that wasn’t there.
It looks like he’s wearing a trench-coat and he just opened it up to flash everybody. Some people are pretending not to notice, but others seem transfixed.
How so? Looks fine to me. It’s a photo taken with a 35mm lens at f/3.5 on a full-frame camera. Nothing looks out of the ordinary to me about the perspective.
Uniform regulations from all branches of the service specify when you do and don’t wear ribbons or medals. Uniform of the day is always prescribed, and whether you’re the newest recruit or the most senior officer, you dress accordingly.
In general, medals are worn only in the most formal of occasions. Neither ribbons nor medals are worn on working uniforms. I seem to recall that there are times when you don’t have to wear every single ribbon if you don’t want to, but I’ve been off active duty for almost 30 years, and I know uniforms have changed in that time.
In any event, the various devices on uniforms aren’t just accessories or bits of flair - they have significance and there are regulations covering when and how they are worn. The uniforms themselves are also required most of the time when on duty. It’s not an affectation - it’s part of being in the service.
Projecting an image of weakness and low resolve is the first thing they teach you in ninja schools. Remember that Obama was trained in Asia in his youth, just like Batman.
I’m sure it’s hell getting your dress uniform jacket cleaned–especially for high-ranking generals. I wouldn’t take those ribbons off any more than I absolutely had to.
Jeez. General Webb’s ribbons make for a bullet resistant shirts.
Just for fun, the ribbons on the one star General (Webb), seated center, from our left to right, top to bottom: (I can’t make out the bronze tokens in the ribbons. Some will be for additional awards of the same medal.)
Row 1
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze Star
Row 2
Defense Meritorious Service
Meritorious Service Medal
Air Medal
Row 3
Aerial Achievement Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Air Force Commendation Medal
Row 4
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Air Force Combat Action Medal
Air Force Gallant Unit Citation
Row 5
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
Combat Readiness Medal
Row 6
Air Force Recognition Ribbon (?)
National Defense Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal
Afghanistan Campaign Medal
Row 7
Iraq Campaign Medal
*** Dunno ***
*** Dunno ***
Armed Forces Service Medal
Row 8
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Overseas Long Tour Service Ribbon
Air Force Longevity Service Award
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Row 9
Air Force Training Ribbon
*** Dunno ***
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Can someone fact-check my work, and provide the medals I missed?
Without knowing the background of the photograph, I’d say, General Webb was giving the President a PowerPoint presentation in the White House, important WH officials (Biden, Carney, Clinton, Gates) are sitting at the conference table, lesser WH officials are standing in the conference room door entrance trying to find out what’s happening, and the President is in the corner - apart-between-beyond, isolated, yet, at the same time, very much present in the room.
As pulykamell mentioned, the camera info attached to the photo says a 35mm lens on a full frame digital camera. Some people say that a 35mm gives a field of view similar to normal human eye sight. Other people call it a mild wide angle lens. Lenses can’t be accurately compared to human sight because we only have a tiny central area of visual acuity, surrounded by a hemisphere of fuzz (that’s still useful for detecting motion or obstacles around us ).
That’s all a peripheral though: the white haired guys on the left and right do seem a bit distorted.
It’s probably contrast making some people look sharper. The guy with thick hair (in front of the woman) has a light giving his head deep shadows and bright highlights. It makes him look sharper than the three guys to his right whose face are in vague shade. Actually though, the full size photo shows a subtle pattern on the blue shirt of the guy with folded arms. He’s sharp enough, but is poorly lit.
