Barack Obama 02

I find the teleprompter a bit distracting from the photo at first glance. Obama is sharply focused, as is his sign, while the people in front of and behind him are a blurred metaphor of the general public. Even the large sign amongst the people becomes indistinct, as if the farther one looks from the subject, the more hazy becomes the message - which, in itself, is another fantastic symbol. And after this, I come back to the teleprompter. It stands as firm and solid as the subject declaring his message of change. I can assume, in my own interpretation of this photo, that the conflicting association between the message of change and the rote reading of a teleprompter is in fact a deeper meaning - that change cannot happen without a solid, structured platform to begin with. But then, I might be reading into it too much. <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/e/e…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Eek)"/>_O:

In a sentence, I feel the teleprompter detracts from the visual quality of the picture, but adds immensely to the depth of the combined elements.

Vision: If your intent was simply to push your political preferences, I would not even be going so far as to write a critique. I would infer from your responses to the many (unnecessary) politically-charged comments that you present this as art with a message, not an agenda.
Originality: It's a picture of people, but the sharp focus on the subject and his message lends it something more.
Technique: Focus vs blur is the technique, I think, and is what makes this picture great.
Impact: This would be easy to rate high just because it's a political piece. However, with the previously-mentioned teleprompter changing this from a simple message to one with far deeper meaning, I think the message itself, not the person, carries the impact of this piece.