That room

The world's most viewed photograph. Well in the last month anyway. What I can't get over is that room. I mean this is the mission that will make or break Obama's presidency and he watches in a small poky side room where he can't even get a seat at the table. (You would have thought the perks of power would have at least give him rights to kick someone out of their chair and pinch the seat with the best view.)

Apparently this room is one of the side rooms off the main Situation Room. Why weren't they using the big room?

If the White House website is to be believed it has nice comfy leather chairs and a really big screen

So why the poky side room?

On an aside I love the way Hollywood has dramatised the same room. In the West Wing they made everything so much more dramatic. In 2002 Jed Bartlett had too big screens

 and deep shadows for gravitas. By contrast George Dubbya had this anodyne corporate boardroom for a Situation Room as late as 2006

Nasty flouro lighting (bad for the complexion when chatting too bigwigs oversees) and only 1 screen. The new room apparently now has 6!