An unexpected furry guest made an appearance in the photo accompanying New York Times columnist Paul Krugman’s Monday column on the War on Terror.
The iconic image of top U.S. officials—including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—watching the raid that killed Osama bin Laden had been altered to include a white cat. The dazed-looking animal can be seen peering over the edge of the conference table.
Because the humorous addition didn’t jibe with the serious tone of the column, readers initially thought it was an accident. On Tuesday, Krugman posted an update to the story clarifying that he used the image intentionally.
“Yes, I know there’s a cat in the picture; I took it from Slate, ‘The Cats of War,'” he wrote. “I’ve used that image before, to lighten things up slightly. Apparently I didn’t succeed.”
View the photo below:
We need more silliness in the world. Paul Krugman yet again shows his brilliance by understanding that.
When my magazine interviewed Krugman in 1994, he handled his own photos—he was still at Stanford and we were in New York—and, among others, he sent us this one, which we couldn’t resist publishing.
Dogs of War - “this is GREAT! we get to wear hats?”
Cats of War - "i got up at 2am to watch this show?
Next to dogs, I like cats best but don’t overlook the importance of what Krugman is saying (as he always does) about terrorism and our muddled policies.
Because I’d like a sweet little critter around the house since my lovely golden retriever died, I’ve sometimes thought I’d get a cat which I see as low maintenance, no walking, no groomer’s visits, etc. But I don’t understand cats and their very special needs, er, demands