Controversial Barack Obama Photo Revisited

Now that Barack Obama seems to have secured the Democratic Party presidential nomination, I decided it an appropriate time to revisit the message(s) delivered by a controversial photograph (below) published in a BMW post Oct. 16, 2007.

I found the photo above as the eighth of 11 available for viewing at the Barack Obama web site photo gallery* and described it this way in my post:

On the surface, it seems innocent enough. The tired Democrat presidential candidate. Seated. Alone. Contemplating his future. Above him, the world champion boxer, Muhammad Ali, stands above another defeated opponent, exuding strength and confidence — the kind of strength-by-association stuff a political campaign manager wants the photo to convey to potential voters.

On the flip side, however, the photo is troubling in that it brings attention to a man who, in 1964, cited his Muslim faith as a reason to claim “conscientious objector” status and refuse to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

If I’m reading this obviously-staged photo correctly, Obama wants to be associated with a four-times-married Muslim draft dodger who made millions by beating people up inside a boxing ring.

Puzzling to say the least.

*To see a photo screenshot showing the photo in the context of how it appeared on the Barack Obama campaign web site, click here.

The headline of a BMW post four months ago summarized yet another observation I had to offer about the photo: Press Turns Blind Eye to Obama Web Site Photo.

So what do you think?

-- Bob McCarty Writes