Obama Halo?

Rolling Stone’s August 20th cover features Barack Obama and a rather skeptical headline asking: Will He Take Bold Action Or Compromise Too Easily?

Despite the bipartisan nature of the cover (on the unapologetically liberal Rolling Stone), cover artist Shepard Fairey had to defend it by saying, no, the presidential seal around Obama’s head is not supposed to signify a halo.

“It’s one thing to be running for president and it’s another to be President and I think this new illustration that I did hopefully captures the complexity and the weight of his new role,” Fairey told The New York Daily News. “Not only will we see how he performs, but also whether we as Americans will now help him and continue to push for the changes we asked for.”

Fairey also designed the now iconic Obama Hope poster.

Check out a gallery of all of Barack Obama’s covers below!