On the issue of USA Today altering a photo of Condi Rice:
I used to do digital image correction for a living (well, at least for Taco Bell money) during undergrad. It's standard practice to sharpen the eyes of any subject, as it makes the photo more attention-grabbing. People notice eyes more than anything else in the photo. I don't believe that this was done on purpose. I don't really even care to make any other comment than to put up a picture of Cthulhu with the demon eyes- the first thing I thought of, naturally.

Seriously, whoever worked on that photo can be replaced with five minutes of searching monster.com for recent college grads with Photoshop skills- a number that rivals the population of China. The job market is grossly oversaturated, and mistakes like this can ruin you.