The Situation Room is a noted photograph captured by White House photographer Pete Souza in the White House Situation Room at 4:06 PM on May 1, 2011. The photograph shows the President of the United States, Barack Obama, along with his national security team, receiving live updates of Operation Neptune Spear, which led to the killing of Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda.
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The photograph received much publicity after the news of Osama bin Laden's death was announced. CNN called it a "photo for the ages" and drew comparisons to other famous images of U.S. presidents such as Dewey Defeats Truman. Former White House photographer Eric Draper said that the photo captured "a defining moment in history very well."[1] The photograph has also been the subject of commentary by historians and body language experts.
The photograph was taken during the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound as Obama and his National Security team monitored the status of the raid. As such the image has been most noted for its intensity. Hillary Clinton, pictured in the photograph, described the moment as "the most intense 38 minutes of my life."[2] The Daily Mail reported that Obama was able to watch the exact moment that bin Laden was killed,[3] but Leon Panetta said this was not the case.[4]
The following people are pictured, from left to right:
(seated)
(standing)
Hillary Clinton holds her right hand over her mouth in apparent anxiety over the outcome of the raid. She later said that she was suffering from a spring allergy and was likely suppressing a cough.[7]
Some historians have commented on the historical significance of the photograph, particularly its depiction of the crossing of gender and racial boundaries. Lehigh University political science professor Saladin Ambar said that the picture suggests "a new American landscape that we're still crossing into." He continued "When Obama was elected, there were some people who thought that we had crossed a racial threshold. What his presidency is revealing is that there are many crossings."[2]
The photograph has also been noted to depict a change in presidential leadership style. Historian Clarence Lusane said that past presidents have felt a need to project "machismo" and "swagger." Meredith College sociology professor Lori Brown said it is significant however, that Obama is neither in the center of the room nor in the tallest chair. Political analyst Cheryl Contee said "Obama's willingness to be photographed without the typical Oval Office swagger gives birth to a new type of swagger." She said that the image shows Obama's leadership style as a collaborator.[2]
The New York Times commented on Clinton's expression in the photograph, writing, "She is what the French critic Roland Barthes called the 'punctum,' the not necessarily conspicuous detail that gives a photograph its emotional resonance." They also stated the mystery of the photograph—what are they looking at?—was analogous to the uncertainty of Western democracy's relationship with Islamic militant terrorism.[8]
Ambar stated that the photograph also shows how entrenched women have become in U.S. politics; Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason are in the photograph, while the similar photograph of John F. Kennedy and his staff during the Cuban Missile Crisis does not show any women. Lori Brown said in a CNN article that the photograph also shows how women have made progress in U.S. political life, although Brown said that Clinton's visible reaction dulled the impact somewhat, because women "are often more physical in their emotional responses and in a 'power situation' it may not seem as acceptable."[2]
Until the publishing of the photograph, Audrey F. Tomason, a woman identified by the White House as the Director for Counterterrorism, was unknown to the public. After the publication of the photo, because of the apparent proximity to U.S. President Barack Obama seen in the photograph, various rumors appeared regarding what her role is. She also gained notability as she was the only woman, other than Hillary Clinton, in the photograph.[9] She also appeared to be the only person in the photograph under 40 years of age.[10] Alexis Madrigal, a senior editor at The Atlantic said that Tomason "appeared to be an outlier in a room filled with the Administration's heaviest hitters." Tommy Vietor, a National Security Council spokesperson, said that there were other young staffers in the room, but Tomason was the only one in the photograph. Vietor said "[t]here were at least half a dozen people with similar profiles in the immediate vicinity where that photo was taken." Madrigal added "The luck of the camera's gaze means that history will be able to place Tomason at a decisive moment in war on terrorism, but not her colleagues."[11]
Di Tzeitung, a Satmar Hasidic newspaper, edited the image to remove Clinton and Tomason due to its policy of not running photographs with women because of "modesty laws".[12] The newspaper subsequently apologized for altering the image in breach of the terms of its release.[12] In addition De Voch, a weekly Hasidic magazine from Brooklyn, also edited out the women.[13]
The editing of images of women out of photographs is a common practice of Haredi newspapers.[14] And while some interpreted this practice as a result of inequality to women's rights in Hasidic Judaism,[15] Di Tzeitung, in its statement, said it was done only because of modesty reasons, and should in no way be seen as degrading of women.[16]