• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, May 5, 2011

President Obama may not be releasing a photo of Osama bin Laden's body, but another photo connected to the Al Quaeda leader's killing is getting lots of media attention. You've probably seen it by now -- the one of Obama and top government officials huddled in the White House's Situation Room, transfixed as they watch the raid on bin Laden's compound unfold in real-time.

Pundits and political junkies have been poring over the arresting image, reading the expressions, body language and positioning for clues to internal power dynamics of the Obama Administration.

Why, for instance, is the president hunkered down in the corner, with Brigadier General Marshall B. Webb sitting in the seat at the head of the table that should be reserved for the leader of the free world?

And is Hillary Clinton covering her mouth, aghast at what she's watching on the screen out of sight, or suppressing a cough? And who's that woman sticking her head in, all the way in back? (Answer: Audrey Tomason, director for counterterrorism.)

One question that may have occurred to gadget freaks looking at the photo is: "Where's the mobile gear?" Sure, there's plenty of laptops crowded on the long table, but nary a smartphone or tablet in sight - not even Obama's ever-present BlackBerry. What looks like a black (paper) notebook or organizer on Clinton's lap is about the closest thing to the RIM device.

How could the most powerful people on the planet go more than two minutes without consulting their BlackBerry, iPhone, or Android device for critical updates of global import? The mystery was resolved today in an in-depth analysis of the photo by the Washington Post, which revealed that when you enter the Situation Room "you have to surrender your cell phone, usually in a wooden set of cubby holes."

There you have it, they didn't willingly put aside their mobile devices for the occasion, but were required to do so by White House protocol. Can you imagine having to get through a meeting without checking your glowing smartphone screen for incoming text or email messages, or the latest headlines or scores? Another reason to be glad your office isn't the Oval Office.