Photos that won the election

PDN (Photo District News) has put together the top five photos that their staffers think helped President-Elect Obama win the election. Check it out.

(Thanks to Greg Laden for the link.)

I think my favorite of the bunch is one that didn't actually make the top five: The photo of then-Senator Obama with his feet up on the table, showing the holes in the soles of his shoes. I wonder how long he wore those shoes before those holes got there? I'm inclined to say that they were not new shoes...I mean, it's not like candidates are putting serious miles on their shoes. Yes, they travel a lot--but they drive. Or fly. Or train. And once they get there, they stand. Not activities likely to put quarter-sized holes in good-quality dress shoes. My guess is they're the same shoes he's been wearing for a while. (I understand completely--it's almost impossible to get me to give up a comfortable pair of dress shoes. Do you know how hard it is to find comfortable flats?) I don't know, something about that kind of makes me respect him a bit more. I mean, he's obviously not hurting for money--but he's wearing worn-out shoes.

Of course, it's possible the shot was totally staged, and all of his shoes are brand new. It's also possible that he thinks those shoes are good luck, or that they're his "lounging around calling staffers and reading briefs" shoes (in which case, I suppose he should get used to wearing them...), or something. But maybe, just this once, I'll be optimistic. :)