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Working the angles

Rep. Mark Foley of West Palm Beach doesn't just watch the birdie, he tracks it. In the political game of jockeying for face time on camera, he's a master.

By BILL ADAIR
Published May 25, 2006

[AP photo]

Rep. Mark Foley, right, is prominently in the picture as President Bush is greeted before his State of the Union address in January.

	[AP photo]
	Rep. Katherine Harris, in a choice spot at a bill signing, uses her phone camera to capture the moment.

If you watched a State of the Union address in the past 10 years, you may have seen Rep. Mark Foley in a prime seat beside the center aisle. He has often been photographed shaking the president's hand.

That's no accident. Foley, a Republican from West Palm Beach, is a skillful practitioner of a little-known political art: getting in the shot.

By arriving early, claiming a choice spot and being constantly aware of camera angles, Foley has appeared in countless photos and lots of television footage.

That was him at the White House when President Bush signed the Medicare drug bill a picture that made the New York Times. And that was him at a press conference, smiling beside a giant rebate check. And yes, there he was again at this year's State of the Union with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Getting in the shot is a valuable skill. Though it won't make or break a re-election campaign, it can boost a politician's standing by showing him chatting with the president or standing with a senator. In politics, you are who you hang out with.

Last week, congressional staffers and political activists were abuzz after CNN televised a White House bill signing that showed Rep. Katherine Harris in a prominent spot behind President Bush. They wanted to know how she got such a great seat.

Harris said it was pure luck. She was in a line of House members and ended up in the choice spot by happenstance. She liked the location so much that she used her cell phone to snap a photo of the president's back.

But political operatives who arrange such events are skeptical. They say prime spots like that one usually go to crafty lawmakers who maneuver their way into the picture.

Robert McLarty, a member of the political advance team for the Clinton White House, said members of Congress are usually kept in a room until right before an event. But when the door opens, they dash for the best spots.

"It's like watching kids run to a concession stand," he said.

McLarty, who organizes events for Democratic candidates, has seen politicians pushing each other out of the way to get in the shot - "especially if the president's poll numbers are good."

Bill signings often have assigned seating, with party leaders and key members of Congress directly behind the president. The White House political office decides where everyone sits, rewarding favorite lawmakers with a prized seat and subtly punishing others by putting them far away.

"Nothing is by accident," said Kim Fuller, a longtime Republican advance staffer.

Campaign events and Air Force One arrivals are also choreographed, with favored politicians allowed to walk up and greet the president, while others are told to stand back and wait. The advance team will tape cards on the ground telling politicians where to stand, but they often inch closer.

Fuller said ground markings are no longer effective. Politicians want to get so close that "they'll have their chin on the president's shoulder."

At campaign events, she likes to have elected officials sit offstage or put a physical barrier between them and the president. "If you sit them on the stage, you can't keep them out of the picture," she said.

Having too many people in the shot can distract from an event's visual message, which is often conveyed by words on the backdrop.

"We want a clean shot to demonstrate what the event is about," Fuller said.

By contrast, events that do not include the president, such as Capitol Hill press conferences, are free-for-alls and require a different strategy.

Ask members of Congress who is the best at getting in photos, and one name keeps coming up: Foley.

"I've always said if you want to get in a shot, get with Foley," said Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, who once found himself hidden behind a poster while a smiling Foley was smack in the middle of a photo.

Foley's strategy involves timing and positioning. He arrives at press conferences five minutes before other lawmakers and finds the best spot. He is always aware of camera angles.

"If you are behind the podium to the right or left of the speaker, you are going to be in the shot," he said.

Another key: "Hold your position," Foley said. He won't budge if his colleagues try to push him to the back.

Other members of Congress were reluctant to discuss their strategies for getting photographed, but Foley was candid.

"When you go to a football game, you want to be on the 50-yard line. You go to a baseball game, you want to be behind home plate," he said.

He said his goal is simple: to show his constituents that he is doing his job.

"People want to know you are actively involved," he said. "A picture speaks a thousand words."

Washington Bureau Chief Bill Adair can be reached at adair@sptimes.com.

How to get framed

Rep. Mark Foley's strategy for getting in the shot:

* Arrive at press conferences five minutes before other lawmakers.

* Position yourself just behind the speaker's shoulder.

* Be aware of camera locations and adjust if necessary.

* Don't relinquish your position when others arrive.

[Last modified May 24, 2006, 13:48:03]