Bizarre Cover Shot of Rand Paul

Mother Jones is reading all kinds of things into this cover shot of Rand Paul:

The amazing photo set off a round of accusations that the image had been Photoshopped to make Paul look bad. But the picture, by the esteemed photographer Platon, wasn't doctored. Nor, as TNR senior editor Noam Scheiber points out, did Platon ask Paul to pose in this fashion. It wasn't until Platon was reviewing his photographs after their shoot that he noticed the money shot.

So why was Paul crossing his fingers? As some Internet commenters have observed, there may be deeper significance to this "good luck" hand gesture. The crossed fingers have traditionally been used by POWs trotted out for propaganda purposes to indicate that the subject is participating under duress. Perhaps Paul was embracing the role he's carved out in Washington from day one—that of a conservative freedom fighter deep in enemy territory.

The hidden messages may not stop there. Paul's choice of neck tie may also be sending a signal. As Matthew Schmitz, the deputy editor of the conservative religious magazine First Things, notes on Twitter, the libertarian-leaning lawmaker appears to be wearing a floral tie from a London-based company: Liberty.

It reminds me of Obama giving Hillary Clinton the finger during the 2008 primary race:

It was supposed to be a signal to his followers, as to what he thought of Hillary. Of course, once he was elected, he named Hillary to head the State Department and he pretty much runs the White House the way Hillary would.

Politicians mislead with their gestures as well as their mouths. That said, the Rand pic is very clever. Who is running Rand?