Jason English
11 Pictures Politicians Wish Were Never Taken
by Jason English - October 10, 2007 - 12:56 PM

Scouts.jpgThis morning, subscribers to our newsletter read the story of our wildly embarrassing photo shoot in Central Park. Here’s the short version: mental_floss has a book coming out next year called BE AMAZING – a how-to guide with tips on tasks like starting your own country and traveling through time. The publisher wants a publicity photo of founding _flossers Will and Mangesh, who had a few different ideas for poses. I did not write a word of this book. But since Will lives in Birmingham, I was his stunt double. So Mangesh and I donned Boy Scout outfits – including neckerchiefs and green cut-off pants – and the resulting pictures will probably keep my future kids from attending decent colleges.

On the bright side, because slipping into a Boy Scout disguise behind a tree in a public park was actually part of my job, these photos can’t get me fired. Plus, I have no political ambitions. But many a politician has been stung by the regrettable photo. Our research editor Kara Kovalchik found eleven examples of pictures politicians wish were never taken.

Jimmy Carter and the Killer Swamp Rabbit

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Rabbit.jpgThe year was 1979 – not a great one for Jimmy Carter. There was an Energy Crisis and a Crisis of Confidence. And a lesser-known Crisis involving swamp rabbits. From The New York Times: “A ‘killer rabbit’ penetrated Secret Service security and attacked President Carter on a recent trip to Plains, Ga., according to White House staff members who said that the President beat back the animal with a canoe paddle.”

Carter backed off the whole “beat the animal with a paddle” part, explaining that he merely splashed water on the (killer) creature. He ordered a print of the photo, and later an enlargement, to prove his killer rabbit story. “It just played up the Carter flake factor,” Carter biographer Douglas Brinkley recalled. “I mean, he had to deal with Russia and the Ayatollah and here he was supposedly fighting off a rabbit.” News of the Odd has more.

Read on to see Gerald Ford battle the stairs, the downfall of Gary Hart and Michael Dukakis, and a few improbable handshakes.

Gerald Ford and the Slippery Stairs

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Despite being a college football star, and a gifted athlete throughout his life, this photo left the public with a very different impression of his balance. Here, Gerald Ford does his best impression of Chevy Chase doing his best impression of Gerald Ford, courtesy of UT-Austin.

Gary Hart and the Challenge to Reporters

GaryHart.jpgOn Sunday, May 3, 1987, the Miami Herald published a story claiming “Miami Woman is Linked to Hart.” That same weekend, E.J. Dionne had a profile of the then- frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in The New York Times Magazine, which included this infamous challenge by Hart: “Follow me around. I don’t care. I’m serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me, go ahead. They’d be very bored.”

Soon after, the Herald received this photo, which would later appear in the National Enquirer. It was taken aboard a boat hilariously named Monkey Business. Look closely and you’ll see “Monkey Business Crew” written on Hart’s shirt. He withdrew from the race on May 8th, only to re-enter in December. After receiving only 4% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary, he called it quits for good.

Hart flirted with re-running for President in 2004. The “Miami Woman” was Donna Rice, who went on to write a book called Kids Online: Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace.

Eight more memorable shots…

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Serial killer John Wayne Gacy, active in his local Democratic Party, shaking hands with future First Lady Rosalynn Carter. And we’ve all seen this Donald Rumsfeld-Saddam Hussein greeting from 1983.
NixonKerry.jpg

At left, the Nixon/Presley Summit of 1970, after Elvis requested he be appointed “Federal Agent-at-Large” in the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. At right, John Kerry during a 2004 visit to NASA, which reminded many people of…

DukakisBarry.jpg

…1988 Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis cruising around in a tank. That wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as Washington’s Mayor Marion Barry, who was caught on tape smoking crack with a prostitute. But after six months in jail, Barry was re-elected – first to the city council, then to a second stint as Mayor.

And finally, any discussion of embarrassing photos can’t leave out our current Commander in Chief…particularly this first chestnut of the Prez shocking German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a surprise backrub at the G8 Summit – a friendly gesture that took on a life of its own in cyberspace.
Bush.jpg

What other regrettable political photos are out there? Let us know and we’ll do a sequel. Also, if you’re interested in receiving our weekly newsletter, the sign-up box is in the left-hand navigation.

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Comments (39)

  1. What about Hillary smooching it up with Arafat’s wife? There was a lot of thought it would hurt her in the NY Senatorial election. Fortunately for her, Guiliani got cancer and she won practically uncontested. Might get to see an interesting rematch of the race that never was, but of course that photo probably won’t hurt her too much nationally.

    posted by Andrew D on 10-10-2007 at 1:46 pm

  2. I remember a photo floating around cyberspace of a White House director (guard? I forget who) gesturing towards G.W. Bush’s fly. Jokes abounded.

    And in Carter’s defense, those bun-buns can be pretty vicious out in the wild, especially those fancy swimmin ones, heh.

    posted by heather on 10-11-2007 at 1:10 am

  3. Re: President Carter’s encounter with the killer bunny, I wonder if any of the Secret Service had the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch handy? Probably not.

    posted by Doc on 10-11-2007 at 7:18 am

  4. The one of Canadian PM Stephen Harper getting his nose honked by a toddler. The Floss won’t let me post a link, but a quick GIS of ‘Harper’ and ‘Nose’ will tunr it up.

    posted by Tim on 10-11-2007 at 7:28 am

  5. What about the pics of the 1st President Bush losing his dinner all over the Japanese ( I THINK that’s right) official?

    posted by Sheldon Siegel on 10-11-2007 at 8:02 am

  6. Not only did George H.W. Bush get food poisoning during a Japanese State dinner and lose it all over the then Japanese prime minister, the Japanese people coined a new word “busharu” to cover such situations in the future.

    posted by Phillip Doud on 10-11-2007 at 8:19 am

  7. About 6 years ago Bush and Cheney were in Milwaukee and eating at a local custard place, and for some reason Cheney had an erection and there were pictures everywhere that night! I think they tried to pull them all off and the newspaper was withdrawn, which only made every know about it.

    posted by cari on 10-11-2007 at 9:15 am

  8. Do a Google Image search for Robert Stanfield. He was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and in the 1974 election a rather famous photo of him fumbling a football while playing catch on a campaign stop. He lost the election, fairly badly.

    posted by Dave on 10-11-2007 at 1:17 pm

  9. My favorite one still has to be of our Fearless Leader, Dubya, trying to ride a Segway and finding out it works better if you turn it on first. He went Presidential-Seal-over-teakettle right over the handlebars.

    posted by The Cosmic Jester on 10-11-2007 at 3:55 pm

  10. Another fun Canadian one is the leader of the Separatist Bloc Quebecois, Gilles Duceppe, wearing a white shower cap he was made to put on while touring a food processing plant. Cartoonists ever after had him wearing that.

    posted by jack ruttan on 10-11-2007 at 9:05 pm

  11. I know it’s the most obvious one – so why is no one pointing it out? W with the mission accomplished sign!!!

    posted by heidi on 10-23-2007 at 6:04 am

  12. Recall the photo of Quail looking through binoculars with the lens’ caps still afixed?

    posted by Rose L on 10-24-2007 at 7:59 am

  13. How about the picture of GW Bush in his cheerleader outfit?

    posted by Jack Smithe on 10-29-2007 at 11:27 am

  14. AP photo of bush with his fly down during a photo shoot at the G8 summit. I belive there is another that shows one of his aids zipping it up for him. The facial expressions of Putin, Bush, etc are priceless!

    posted by Steve on 10-29-2007 at 4:09 pm

  15. Re: Elvis meets Nixon – did you know that Elvis is apparently the only person who was able to enter the Oval Office with a LOADED handgun? It was a gift for Tricky Dick, who awarded the King with an honorary DEA badge that same day. Kind of ironic, isn’t it?

    posted by Bert on 2-24-2009 at 3:41 pm

  16. There’s the picture of Putin kissing a young boy’s stomach. Still can’t wrap my mind around that one…

    posted by Niki on 4-7-2009 at 1:55 pm

  17. How about Bill CLinton hugging Monica Lewinsky before THAT scandal broke…Puleeze!!!!

    posted by DemocraticShelley on 4-7-2009 at 2:56 pm

  18. What about the infamous picture of VP Rockefeller shooting the “bird” to the press
    Link:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/1342414208_b11e5749b4_o.gif

    Or Bush the lessor as Prez with the flag in the left hand and the “bird” in the right hand?
    Link:bp2.blogger.com/…/s320/bush_finger_flip.jpg

    posted by texdem on 10-12-2009 at 11:12 am

  19. W Bush holding hands with a suadi prince, though I don’t think he was embarrassed by it, which says something.

    posted by Rich T on 11-5-2009 at 9:17 am

  20. I guess George W. wins the photo contest then judging by the comments. I was going to mention the one about hims writing to request a bathroom break during a U.N. Meeting? Click my name for the snopes photo.

    posted by Kels on 11-6-2009 at 12:12 pm

  21. *him

    posted by Kels on 11-6-2009 at 12:13 pm

  22. http://cdn.buzznet.com/media-cdn/jj1/headlines/2008/10/john-mccain-tongue-barack-obama.jpg

    I’d say this one posted over on Just Jared really takes the cake for McCain. Phew, I know I wouldn’t want this one out there!!

    posted by Jess on 11-16-2009 at 9:51 am

  23. or Kerry windsurfing

    posted by Michael on 12-9-2009 at 2:40 pm

  24. thank goodness obama has made no missteps the press would have been all over him i could just imagine the guffaws if he tried to walk through a window at the white house or forgot how many states there are

    posted by greg on 12-15-2009 at 8:45 am

  25. well greg, we do have this picture where obama is explaining to Wen Jiabao about how he will be “trying to do sex with him”

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a765b297970b-600wi

    reCaptcha: recognition sensors

    posted by Tom in GA on 12-22-2009 at 11:17 pm

  26. how about ronald reagan taking a dump on chairman maos pencil box.

    posted by dirk alan on 5-20-2010 at 12:02 am

  27. Monica hugging Bill?

    posted by Todd on 6-7-2010 at 3:09 pm

  28. How about Obama and Michele with the left hand on the right chest during the playing of the National Anthem?

    posted by El Bourgraf on 7-4-2010 at 9:03 pm

  29. I never understood what was so horrifically embarrassing about the Michael Dukakis tank photo…

    posted by Brian on 7-6-2010 at 1:51 pm

  30. I’m surprised the pic of LBJ holding his bassett hound by the ears wasn’t on the list. In reality, he was just holding up the ears, not the whole dog, but at the time a lot of people tried to make hay out of it.

    It also seemed like Reagan was perpetually dogged by photos from Bedtime for Bonzo, even though he wasn’t President at the time they were taken.

    posted by Manruss on 8-5-2010 at 7:34 pm

  31. Obama in a turban? No?

    posted by Jones on 8-22-2010 at 12:14 am

  32. How is George HW Bush throwing up on the Japan PM *not* on this list?!

    posted by C on 10-3-2010 at 8:41 pm

  33. He’s not a politician, but Rich Iott was running against Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in Northwest Ohio, and a photo of him dressed as a Nazi soldier was uncovered just before the election. He is a WWII buff and was part of a reenactment, but still…Google “Iott” and “Nazi” and you’ll see what I mean!

    posted by Molly on 11-19-2010 at 9:16 pm

  34. Have you all forgot the infamous pic of Obama looking at that 16 yr old’s phat bootay at the G8?? Look at how his face lights up lol

    I smell a cover-up here…

    posted by Mensa on 12-20-2010 at 11:08 pm

  35. Rosalynn Carter also posed for a photograph with People’s Temple cult leader Jim Jones, so… yeah, bad decisions all around.

    Donald Rumsfeld was only chummy with Saddam Hussein because back in the ’80s, we were so pissed off with Iran over the hostage crisis situation that we’d go with anyone who wanted to make them suffer. It was an “enemy of my enemy” situation.

    But don’t think any of Obama’s gaffes are going to make a similar list anytime soon. He’s a “chosen one” who’s continually treated with kid glove gentleness. I had to find out through a BBC radio personality that he said that Austrians speak “Austrian” and from another source that he said there were 52 states in the U.S.

    posted by Diane on 1-21-2011 at 3:33 pm

  36. Well we have pictures of Obama bowing http://www.capveterans.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/the_bow.jpg
    to saudi Kings, we have him ogling girls backsides http://www.buzzchow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/mayora-tavares.jpg

    If you’re in public office the pictures will be there…

    posted by seamusmeboy on 5-4-2011 at 3:40 pm

  37. What about the picture of Obama and Sarkozy checking out that girl (even if Obama “isn’t”, it still looks incriminating). Here: http://gawker.com/5311472/the-american-president-is-an-ass-man-apparently

    posted by Andie on 7-27-2011 at 1:16 pm

  38. Boris Yeltis drunkedly tweaking a secretary’s bra strap at an important political summit would have to rate pretty highly.

    posted by Jim on 8-19-2011 at 6:14 am

  39. How can you make a list of these pics and NOT include the pic of John Kerry windsurfing??? That picture was a campaign killer on par with picking Palin as a running mate

    posted by asdf on 9-15-2011 at 9:59 am

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