Rick Perry’s new Web-only anti–Mitt Romney advertisement includes a photograph of Barack Obama staring at himself in the mirror. It’s a great shot, and one we immediately recognized from the dozens of seconds we spent Photoshopping Chris Christie into the glass (oh, fine, but we’re not running for president).
Governor Perry does not enjoy the same liberties with Pete Souza’s photograph, which appears to have been slightly doctored: according to the official White House Flickr page, the image “may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.” Perry’s ad, however cinematic, certainly still qualifies as political material. If Rick Perry is abusing the privileges of Flickr, would he, as president, abuse the privileges of the Constitution as well?