MUGSHOT OR CAMPAIGN PHOTO?

I'm not trying to defend Tom DeLay. But damn, didn't he take a good mugshot photo. Genius! If I were him, I'd have a framed copy of it hanging in all my offices - House of Representatives pin and all. I can hear Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, and Ronnie Earle et. al. sobbing in frustration. They've waited so long to get DeLay (or any Republican!) and now they can't even use his mugshot without making any press release look like campaign literature.

Here's a post that appeard on DemBloggers.com on October 17th. It rejoices in the fact that DeLay is going to have his mugshot taken soon, saying: "Whooopeee! Tom DeLay's mugshots are going to be taken this week." What's there today? Well, they posted the photo, but all they had to say about it is: "What a great picture of 'The Hammer.' It truthfully shows that his team worked hard to make sure this picture did not look like a mug shot." It's a very short post, and I'm sure it isn't the "extravaganza" they envisioned. You've just gotta laugh. You just know they were hoping for this:



* * * * * U P D A T E * * * * *

Jeff Gannon noted that democrats are not that happy about the photo, with a link to this article by Susan Jones at CNSNews: Dems Complain About DeLay's Smiling Mug Shot.

Snipets:

(CNSNews.com) - There it is, front and center on the Democratic National Committee's webpage: a full-color mug shot of Rep. Tom DeLay, not bad as mug shots go, with the caption, "DeLay Booked." The Texas Republican is smiling, dressed in a suit and wearing his House pin. Unlike most mug shots, the photograph being circulated on the Internet does not include written information at the bottom, so it looks more like an ordinary snapshot than a mug shot.That bothers many of the bloggers on the Democrat's "Kicking Ass" website.Some complained that the official mug shot "doesn't look real -- no ID markings, no booking numbers, etc." Others wanted to see the profile shot.

Even when they win, they can't win. Here's some reader comments from the Democrat's "Kicking Ass" website:

Arrogant a**hole thinks he is going to get out of this, too! Keep your fingers crossed all, that he gets the MAX ! - Posted by PamB on October 20, 2005 at 03:28 PM

That's pure PR for you there - you just know they had to have a meeting about this where someone said "Let's make sure to make this look like a regular photo without the number/info board and oh, lets make sure the mug shot has his House of Representatives pin on!" That's just wrong to defile the HOR by keeping that pin on in a criminal mug shot. - Posted by 20somethingmarketing on October 20, 2005 at 04:16 PM

I want to see a side by side picture of him after he's spent about 6 months in the slammer. I bet he loses that smirk real fast....and he'll probably walk alot different too. - Posted by Kathy_in_Indiana on October 20, 2005 at 05:31 PM

Regular people aren't allowed to smile for a "mug shot", only the "Lumpenproletariat". - Posted by Martha on October 20, 2005 at 08:18 PM

It would have been more appropriate to get a shot of him being handcuffed and escorted by 2 large mean-looking cops. He looks just too damn happy in this shot. Makes you want to check and see who he bought off. Heck, you can even see the canary feathers dripping off his chin. - Posted by Butte on October 20, 2005 at 08:45 PM

What a joke. This "portrait" just goes to show how far Texas Republicans will bend over backwards to protect one of their own. What an absolute joke. - Posted by Mugwump on October 20, 2005 at 09:24 PM

I am fascinated by all of these "innocent until proven guilty" justice-seeking Republicans. Wrap yourselves in the flag if you wish...your protests look real thin and you look like a bunch of spinning hypocrites. Everyone here still remembers the Whitewater witchhunt. - Posted by YaFatha on October 21, 2005 at 07:50 AM