Looking at the world upside down

The Globe and Mail ran this picture of Harper looking at a map of Afghanistan upside down on its front page today.

So why isn't this funny in the way that photo of Bush looking through binoculars with the lens caps on was funny?

Because we understand the different rules in play here : it's a photo op, so naturally the map is facing us.

On last night's CBC TV coverage of Harper's visit to see the mayor of Kabul, this map was on an easel in a room empty but for all the other easels with maps and pictures on them. Standing in front of it was the head of Canada's International Development Agency for Afghanistan, and she took a question about one of the blue pins representing Canada's reconstruction efforts.

There are too many ongoing rebuilding projects, she said, for any one pin to represent a specific project.

So it's just a map with some pins stuck in it then.

The Star : .“I’m not here because of the polls. I’m here because it’s the right thing to do,” Harper said.

The prime minister tried to put a brighter face on the mission this morning as he visited the Aschiana school in the capital’s downtown, where 200 boys and girls attend classes.

“Why don’t we get a photo with the children,” Harper said, as he accepted roses proffered by a group of girls and boys."

Take it away, Thwap's Schoolyard :

"So, now you take this expensive trip, to prove what exactly? That you can fly in an airplane? That you can hand out pencils?

No, don't worry Harper. I've figured it out: We've spent $39,000 on this school. It's all part of our plan to reconstruct Afghanistan by paying one dollar out of every ten dollars we spend on Afganistan on initiatives that provide you with cynical, "heartwarming" photo-ops, while we spend nine dollars out of ten continuing to blast the country to pieces."

Thank you, Thwap. I think that just about covers it.

(cross-posted at Creekside)

Photo credit : Tom Hanson/CP