Ben Swann
WASHINGTON– Last year, United States Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized Obama for acting “like a king or monarch” as the administration threatened to unconstitutionally bypass Congress on gun control. It seems as though the administration felt the title should stick.
The picture depicts “King Obama” sitting upon the “Iron Throne” at Kings Landing in the ancient kingdom of Westeros from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones. The photo looks as if it was lifted straight from The Onion. However, it is not. The image is a result of Obama’s speech at last week’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner where he joked about enacting more executive orders. The administration took it upon themselves to create the photo of King Obama, and the official White House Twitter account sent out the tweet before last week’s episode aired.
Obama sits with the King’s crown in his hands and former King Joeffrey’s crossbow sitting on the coffee table. The tweet reads “The Westeros Wing.”
Is it a joke? If you call making fun of your truth as a diversionary tactic a joke, then sure- we’re all laughing. Regardless, Obama’s countless dead, innocent drone victims are not laughing. Furthermore, those who take their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States are not laughing either.
The image is disturbing for multiple reasons.
First, those familiar with the series know all too well the nature of kings found within Game of Thrones. As Tywin Lannister, a central antagonist, says, the kings have all been ignorant, insane and ruthless murderers. Then again, what more would you expect from a president that boasts about “being really good at killing people.”
Second, why the president of a constitutional republic would find such an image appropriate is beyond understanding. Could you imagine if George Bush’s administration posted such a picture?
Finally, a crossbow sitting on the coffee table of the West Wing? Why didn’t the “most transparent administration in history” just photoshop a drone in? In the name of transparency, of course. Perhaps they will find this image more suitable for next week’s episode.
Read more: Ben Swann
ALSO:
Rand Paul to President Obama: Show Us the Drone Memos (NYTimes op-ed)
