Cover Story: Ralph Reed

“He’s hiding the palm of his hand. We typically hide the palm of our hand when there’s information that we’re hiding or trying to hide. He’s closed down at the chest as well; note the way he holds the papers close to his body.”

“He’s talking through clenched teeth. You see that in politicians. That’s suppressed anger — anger hidden with a forced smile when he would really like to bite the interviewer.”

“This is the most interesting part of this photo. His eyes droop. In a lot of photos of Reed, it’s not as pronounced. But here, they go down significantly. There are two emotional expressions that exercise that muscle in the eye. One is disgust and the other is anger. Repeat them over the years and you get this facial pattern. On Reed, that’s very telling. We see him as a boy, but his facial expression shows there’s wear.”