2012 Presidential Election

[Reverant]

Originally Posted by Saladin

I hope they were thoroughly cleaned after Clinton's term!

Originally Posted by Widgetcraft

I was admiring that desk. Also, is it just me, or is that particularly ugly wallpaper?

I had the exact same thought. Mags says its classy, though, so I think we're wrong.

[Narradisall]

I find it odd, that given all the films, tv shows etc that I've seen. You can pretty much recognise the layout of the Oval office from films. In fact I'm sure those sofa's have been there for years... I'm probably completely wrong and it's all in my head.

You would think otherwise people would get to at least move the furniture about a bit.

[Zero]

I'm fairly certain they yank nearly everything out and replace it with new stuff.

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by Reverant

I had the exact same thought. Mags says its classy, though, so I think we're wrong.

Yep.

Gay man>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>New Jersey & Kentucky.

Sorry gents.

[Panthera]

I don't know, the wallpaper is nice, but it kind of makes the place look like a dollhouse.

[MagGnome]

Maybe that's the motif they are going for?

[Panthera]

Only if they want Alan Tudyk to come in and ruin the pace.

[Zero]

How dare you?!

[Vandabo]

I wonder how much actually work is actually done in the oval office. I could see them keeping it as essentially a showroom for when the cameras are around, but the prez actually does most of his shit in a more efficient space.

[Ink Asylum]

The definition of "work" for the President is so nebulous in the first place. It's not like he's going to be doing data entry or programming or research wherever he's sitting. Most of the time I doubt he needs more than a phone, a chair, a desk, and a notepad to get stuff done. How much more efficient could a location be?

People come and talk to him, and in small numbers the Oval Office is well-designed for that. If the President is working at the White House the Oval Office is a pretty useful place for him to be, unless he has to have meetings with more than a few people.

[Ink Asylum]

I was inspired to do some reading on the Oval Office, and it looks like we're both right:

Though some presidents have chosen to do day-to-day work in a smaller study just west of the Oval Office, most use the actual Oval Office for work and meetings.

[Ink Asylum]

And now I'm planning to start watching The West Wing. Thanks, Vandabo!

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by Panthera

Only if they want Alan Tudyk to come in and ruin the pace.

Alan Tudyk is welcome anyway, IMHO.

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by Ink Asylum

And now I'm planning to start watching The West Wing. Thanks, Vandabo!

It's all on Amazon Instant Watch, FYI. Some friends have been encouraging me to watch it as well.

[Primus]

Originally Posted by J Arcane

Well, because at the time, we were trying to do it "right". We knew we'd have to take out the Taliban but given the history and make up of the region, doing that alone would leave a lot of people in chaos as local warlords and shit took over. So a full occupation to go along with the hunt would keep the country from turning into a free-fire zone and give us a more stable base of operations for the hunt.

This. I lived there for a year and I tell you calling it a country is gracious at best.

[Serapth]

So, on the whole why I sympathize with Palestine but not Israel meta-thread...

UN votes in favour of Palestine statehood... Israel responds by approving 3000 new (illegal under international law) houses in the Gaza Strip....