Do you have to be a veteran (or CIC) to get the full background treatment? McCain addressed the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention this past Monday, Obama spoke to the group on Tuesday, then Bush came in on Wednesday.

I was interested in your take on the different backgrounds, the possible practical versus political rationales for the differences, as well as your thoughts on the specific content of the backgrounds. (Most of the shots of McCain, I should add -- whether tighter, horizontal or vertical -- seem to show the soldiers on Iwo Jima embedding the flag into the candidate.)

For a full look at the Obama podium, check here. And here is a wide angle view of the background behind McCain, a man from the days of black-and-white -- unless that just reflects his thinking process. And finally, here's a link to Obama's speech, if just to prove his background never changed.



(image 1: Getty Images. Aug. 19, 2008. Orlando, Fla. image 2: John Raoux/AP. Aug. 20, 2008. Orlando, Fla. image 3: John Raoux/AP. Aug. 18, 2008. Orlando, Fla.)