No Soldier Faces for RNC

You'd think that seeing the Dems get love from Shepard Fairey would make the Republican National Convention pine for an artist to call their own. If there's such a person, it's not Suzanne Opton, who was contracted to bring a little art to the weathered face of the RNC. Opton's "Soldier" project riled CBS -- who, in addition to owning the viewing habits of elderly Americans, also controls most outdoor advertising in America -- as it was deemed too controversial for the convention. The photographs-turned-billboards featured the faces of soldiers, but without any gear. The intent was to get visitors to see those in duty as humans first and foremost. "They should consider everything besides heroics," Opton says.

But the project was canceled just days shy of the RNC in the Twin Cities. “This wasn’t for the Republican National Convention [exclusively]. This was going on in five cities total—Denver, Minneapolis, Houston, and Miami, in addition to St. Paul. CBS canceled our contract in three of those five cities.” One of the two cities that still boasts the billboards is Denver, where Clinton finally backed down for Obama.