The iconic Situation Room photo of President Obama, Hillary Clinton and top national security advisers has now traveled far and wide on the internet. But the dramatic gasp that the Secretary of State gave in the picture doesn't appear to be what it first seemed. In a press conference in Rome, video below, Hillary Clinton explained that she may have just been reacting to seasonal allergies.

"Those were 38 of the most intense minutes. I have no idea what any of us were looking at that particular millisecond when the picture was taken...I am somewhat sheepishly concerned that it was my preventing one of my early spring allergic coughs. So it may have no great meaning whatsoever," she stated (at 1:15 in the AP video below):

Photo by White House Flickr

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Erik Hayden