Election round-up

I personally am going to be on pins and needles until Wednesday when the election results are in.

I don't have a whole lot to actually say about this NYTimes story (Bush is trumpeting Saddam's sentencing as it's a day before elections? He's hoping to help out the Republicans? I'm shocked, I tell you!), but check out that picture. I'm really digging it for a number of reason:
1. Let's play "Spot the Secret Service agent"! Need a hint? It's not the old lady with the scarf, nor the little boy. Give up? It's the big beefy dude with a buzz-cut. You see? The one centered in the frame, who's staring through the camera, reading your mind, and is going to come, bust down your door, and mow you down with some appropriately-large gun.
2. The guy standing a bit behind Bush appears to be either tripping over flat ground or doing some sort of little jig.
3. Where the hell was this taken? A steep slope? Because Bush is clearly leaning over quite a bit (about to topple onto a 10-year-old, it looks) to shake hands. So, perhaps the people are sitting down? Not likely. And look at Bush's height compared to Mr. Soul-Sucking Security Suit. Either that's a really short bodyguard, Bush is up on some sort of improbable catwalk with seats flush to it behind him, or they're in some hellish auditorium that represents MC Escher's little-lauded foray into architecture.