Obama Oval Office Gets a Makeover

Congressional opponents, stubborn diplomats or wary heads of state, beware: The new Oval Office sofas look so comfy, you just might be lulled into a few reckless compromises.

Every president eventually puts his own mark on the Oval Office, decoratively speaking, and the White House unveiled the Obama makeover on Tuesday, just hours before a major presidential speech on Iraq from his famous Resolute Desk.

In the center is the presidential seal, and the quotes on its border include some of the most famous words ever spoken by Americans:

• “GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE AND FOR THE PEOPLE” — Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

• “NO PROBLEM OF HUMAN DESTINY IS BEYOND HUMAN BEINGS” — John F. Kennedy.

• “THE WELFARE OF EACH OF US IS DEPENDENT FUNDAMENTALLY ON THE WELFARE OF ALL OF US” — Teddy Roosevelt.

• “THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF” — FDR’s inaugural speech.

• “THE ARC OF THE MORAL UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT IT BENDS TOWARD JUSTICE” — Obama’s favorite Martin Luther King quotation.