There was a previous photo of Bush with Abramoff visible behind him, but this new photo is one that was pulled from circulation by the photographer who took it, after the Abramoff scandal broke.

The President has his photo taken with thousands of people every year. His wife's sister did a show with a community theatre my family used to be involved in in VA (a friend directed it), and the Bushes came, and the President had his picture taken with every member of the cast and crew. Doesn't mean he knows them. I don't get the big deal over pictures.

This looks like one of those touristy passing-thru-the-WH posed shots that Bush said he may have indeed taken with Abramoff. Seems less daming than the documentation of hundreds of Abramoff visits to the White House.

It's because someone (whether it was the White House, or the photography studio acting on its own, we may never know) tried to hide it. That's always a GREAT way to increase demand for a photo. :)

Heh, good point BP.

Very true dano... no doubt that's why they're making those visitor records a secret now, too.

They didn't hide it because it's evidence of anything.

They hid it because every time Abramoff comes up on cable news now, they'll use this picture.