Obama campaign retires altered presidential seal

A presidential seal graphically altered with symbols representing Barack Obama’s campaign of change was just for one-time use and will not be used again, a spokeswoman for the Democrat’s campaign says.

The seal, with its blue background and an eagle in the center clutching arrows and an olive branch, evoked the official presidential version, but had been altered with a new Latin phrase, instead of the original “E pluribus unum,” which means, “Out of many, one.”

Obama’s campaign changed the phrase to “Vero possumus,” which can be roughly translated to his “Yes, we can” slogan. The seal also featured his “O” campaign logo covering the eagle’s body, instead of a shield.

When the altered seal was unveiled last Friday in Chicago, it raised eyebrows and prompted comments about how presidential it looked. The Republican National Committee gleefully ridiculed it as a prop.

Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for Obama’s campaign, said Monday that the altered seal would not be used again. She said it was only intended for that event, in which Obama held a round-table discussion with Democratic governors.