What does the new Oval Office say?

[There used to be an image here, but it has sadly disappeared due to internet rot]

Somewhat strangely, when President Obama took office, he opted to eschew tradition and not change anything about the decor of the Oval Office. Well, while the president was on vacation last week, he finally put his own personal stamp on the office. The Oval got new furniture, a new rug and new wallpaper. He kept the pictures of Washington and Lincoln, as well as the desk (“The Resolute”).

What’s interesting, however, is not the new decor (stately, yet bland—I actually really liked the old carpet) is that he chose to have the carpet bordered by some historical quotations. However, the list is not surprisingly in the least:

• “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But It Bends Towards Justice” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Government of the People, By the People, For the People” – President Abraham Lincoln
• “No Problem of Human Destiny Is Beyond Human Beings” – President John F. Kennedy
• “The Welfare of Each of Us Is Dependent Fundamentally Upon the Welfare of All of Us” – President Theodore Roosevelt

Two Democrats, two Republicans and a civil rights leader. Sounds about right.