Barack Obama rocked the political press Friday morning by appearing behind a rip-off image of the seal of the President of the United States. CNN’s Political Ticker reported:

When the Obama logo and presidential seal collide

Presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama sat down in Chicago Friday morning to discuss the economy with visiting Democratic governors, but all eyes were on the Illinois senator’s podium bearing, what might be described as, a quasi-presidential seal – a new Obama campaign logo….

USA Today’s On Politics notes:

There’s a bald eagle. And there’s Latin. Translation… “Yes we can.” …. And, of course, the real seal doesn’t have a web address on it. Or didn’t last time we checked.

The New York Times’ The Caucus weighed in:

The Great Seal of Obamaland?

At a discussion … Friday morning, … Senator Barack Obama sat behind a low rostrum to which was attached an official-looking seal no one had seen before.

It is emblazoned with a fierce-looking eagle clutching an olive branch in one claw and arrows in the other and is deliberately reminiscent of the official seal of the president of the United States….

Just above the eagle’s head are the words “Vero Possumus,” roughly translated “Yes we can.” Not exactly E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), the motto on the presidential seal and the dollar bill. Then again, Mr. Obama is not the president.

Veteran reporter Candy Crowley writing at AC360^o was not impressed:

…the best, the very best part is the Latin phrase in the inner circle: Vero Possumus. Painfully I tell you that means “Yes We Can”. I cannot swear to that because we didn’t do campaign slogans in my Latin class. But the campaign says that’s what it means and, honestly you can’t make this up. (A quick internet check says the translation is “in truth to be able”.)

I’m no image consultant, but I’m thinking this doesn’t do much for the current mission to assure voters he is not an elitist. To be safe, he should not pack that thing for a trip to rural Pennsylvania….

At The Washington Note writer Steve Clemons comments:

Over at My View blogger Silvio Canto, Jr. initially thought it was a joke perpetrated by the opposition:

Is this actually true? Frankly, I thought that someone from the right wing conspiracy was doing a joke on an Obama picture. After all, you can do a lot of strange things on your computer these days! I guess not! It’s true! BO has a seal.

The Obamamessiah fans loved the new presidential-looking seal. More objective critics ranged from amusement to concern about a pattern of continuing disrespect for our national symbols. Some noted a high degree of “self love” in Obama’s outlook.

Most interesting were the reactions from Clinton supporters. The Clinton Democrats noted a window for criticism:

I think these are the kinds of opportunities we need to keep watching for….

And HillBuzz immediately saw the danger:

The one thing every cult of personality fears is the day everyone starts laughing. Parody is the only antidote to Orwellian self-grandeur. When cult leaders become ridiculous, even to their own disciples, things start to fall apart….

…there’s a really good chance this one photo of Obama behind his “Great Seal of the Obama Nation” will inspire a thousand parodies…

At No Quarter the new Obama campaign logo was described tersely:

It’s an Obamination.…

This is what the real presidential seal looks like. Wikipedia describes the use of look-alikes in popular culture, which are almost all associated with rock groups. (This gives a clue to the Obama constituency.)

The seal is sometimes used in modified form as a marketing tool, or to make a political statement. The punk rock group the Ramones used a personal variation of the seal as their logo, replacing the arrows with a baseball bat, as well as the “Seal of the President of the United States” writing around it for the members’ names. Blink-182 and other bands have also used the logo on T-shirts. Some fashion brands (mainly for teenagers) have also used the logo as an added design for accessories like bags. In addition, the animated menu sequence on all DVDs of The West Wing contains a slightly altered version of the seal. In the backing video for Skinny Puppy’s “VX Gas Attack,” featured on the Greater Wrong of the Right LIVE DVD, another altered version of the seal is shown (the olive and arrows replaced with bleeding gas nozzles, and the eagle replaced with a skull). It is also used by rap group The Diplomats as their trademark logo, except that the olive branch and arrows are usually replaced by two guns and the word “Diplomats” is across the center of the eagle.

Does Obama come across as a little boy playing “dress up” with pilfered items from the grown-ups’ closet? Here’s video of the newscast reaction the following day:

Sadly, someone in the Obama campaign will probably see the handwriting on the wall and retire this emblem. Too bad. We could have had endless fun with this!

UPDATE, June 23, 2:33PM — Our worst fears have come to pass! The seal will be retired! Marc Ambinder has the latest:

A No “Seal” Zone, Starting…..

I’ve had my fun with the Obama campaign’s seal, and now that fun ends. I’m told that Obama recognizes that it was a silly mistake….

We’ll just have to wait for the next gaffe with bated breath.