NOT SOLD YET, BUT HE’S ONE HELL OF A SALESMAN I mustadmit, Barak Obama’s announcement speech on Saturday gave me chills.Good ones. Yes, he is young. And, yes, he lacks prime-time experience.But, man, he talks one hell of a game. I’m not sold yet — it’s waaaaaytoo early to sign off on any candidate — but I really liked what Iheard this past weekend. His speech was the inspiration for this week’scartoon, “And Now For Something Completely Different …†[Archive No.0707].
Andrew Wahl's cartoons appear each week on The Blue State.
Well, itlooks like I might have given the U.S. Senate more credit than I shouldhave in this week’s toon. After several weeks of debate and compromise,I was sure such an august body would be able to pass some kind ofnon-binding, thumb-sucking hand slap of a resolution rebutting Bush’ssurge plan. But, no. Today, the Republicans managed some kind ofprocedural mojo that kept even the milquetoast Warner-Levin compromisefrom coming to a vote. (Where was said procedural mojo when the Demswere in the minority?) It looks like “From the Office of the UnitedStates Senate†[Archive No. 0706] might be the strongest resolutionwe’ll see in the days ahead. Nice to see the voters’ November message got through loud and clear, no?
Andrew toon@offthewahl.com
Andrew Wahl is a cartoonist for the Wenatchee World newspaper. His political cartoons are posted here each week.
What adifference four years make. In 2004, the Dems suffered from short-benchsyndrome. Not so this time around. The question now is will the issuesget a good debate, or will the focus be on the celebrity star power ofSenators Clinton and Obama? That’s “John Edwards’ Dilemma†[Archive No.0704] in the race ahead, while “contenders†like Vilsack and Dodd justtry to make it on to the stage. A question for you all: It’s early, but which candidate do you like for 2008?
I WAS WRONG — IT’S WORSE The headline to the e-mailI sent out late last week was “More of the Same From Bush.†On secondthought, I was wrong about that. It’s actually much worse. Think about it: Over the past month, Bush has received a range ofcounsel on the Iraq situation and proceeded to ignore any and allsuggestions that clashed with his desire to escalate. He ousted keymilitary leaders, replacing them with more escalation-friendly figures.He announced the escalation of combat in Iraq, while threatening bothSyria and Iran. And, finally, in perhaps the most blatant display ofpresidential power run amok, Bush said during his address to the nationlast week that he was still open to other’s ideas, then went on “60Minutes†Sunday to say that his decision has been made and Congresscan’t stop him. Meanwhile, 66 percent of Americans, according to the latest CNNpoll numbers, oppose the troop surge, while 63 percent think Bush hasno clear plan for dealing with Iraq. Democrats, elected in a Novemberlandslide that was supposed to send Bush a message, are scrambling tofind options to block the troop increase. And a growing number ofRepublicans are taken aback by Bush’s “new way forward.†Sen. ChuckHagel, for one, called the surge “the most dangerous foreign policyblunder in this country since Vietnam,†adding that it’s “morallywrong. It’s tactically, strategically, militarily wrong.†All in all, it’s been week of blinding arrogance from a presidentwho has been wrong so much more often than right. I hope I’ve caughtthat sentiment, at least a little, with this week’s toon, “Bush’s ‘New’Iraq Strategy†[Archive No. 0703]. Let me know what you think.
Till next week, Andrew toon@offthewahl.com
Thanks Andrew, as usual, for another great cartoon. Keep sending them.
Here’s“Bush’s War Council†[Archive No. 0702], a cartoon I did Wednesdaynight following Bush’s speech that promised more death and war ahead.Nice to see the message voters sent in November got through so well.
I’m stillcatching up on some end-of-the-year/beginning-of-the-year housecleaning, so no new cartoon quite yet. I plan to watch Bush’s “new planfor Iraq†speech later this week and respond, so check your in-boxesThursday or Friday night. In the meantime, I’ve tallied all your feedback for “Best Toons of2006,†and the winners, by far, were the two versions of Archive No.0626: “Does It Matter?†and “To Which God Does This Mother Pray?†Bothdid quite well, with “Does It Matter?†just sneaking into the top spot.The next most popular toon was “The Most Offensive Cartoon†[Archive.No. 0607], with several others getting a handful of votes. One last thing to share: My home newspaper, The Wenatchee World,did a year-end, full-page spread of my toons, which included an articleI wrote about my approach to editorial cartooning. If you’reinterested, a PDF of the page is available of my Web site:
A gloomylast week of 2006 becomes a gloomy first toon for 2007. Too much death,though not nearly as much as two years ago when the tsunami hit. Still,an inauspicious start, to say the least. A reminder before signing off: I’m still looking for a little helpin figuring out which cartoons I should enter in various year-endcartooning competitions. Check out the following link for details:
The deadline to vote for your three favorite toons is the end of the day 01.04.07.
WAR ON CHRISTMAS IS OVER! NORTHPOLE — Shocking news from the top of the world today: The War onChristmas is over. A summit meeting between Santa Claus and JesusChrist lead to the surprise announcement as the principals in the warrealized they’re actually fighting for many of the same things. “Peace and joy,†said Old St. Nick over a cup of nog. “Who would have thought it?†The men also found agreement in the areas of giving, kindness andthe importance of family. Charity was also mentioned, along with theideal of being good. “Santa’s a bit tougher on the whole naughty thing,†said Jesus,whose been known to forgive a sin or two. “But, you know, at the end ofthe day we’re really on the same page … or list, if you will.†Never one to look for credit himself, Jesus was quick to praiseSanta’s secular outreach program for its ability to reach acrossreligious boundaries. “The Old Elf is doing a heck of a job,†he said. For his part, Santa was impressed with Christ’s long reign as the King of Christmas. “Two millennia of comfort and joy! What are a bag full of toys anda red-nosed reindeer compared to that kind of staying power? It’s anhonor just to be mentioned in the same breath.â€
Ain’t gonna happen, is it? Oh, well. Merry Christmas all! (Look for next week’s e-mail a bit later in the week.)
Finally, aresend of “Checking the Gauge†[Archive No. 0617]: I’ve received wordthat this toon earned a Citation of Excellence in the 2006 UnitedNations Correspondents Association Ranan Lurie Political Cartoon Awardscompetition. That makes me the only American cartoonist to earn thathonor in each the past two years. Pretty darn cool, I think. Check itout at:
(Note: They added the splash of color without my involvement, and I cartoon for The Wenatchee World, not “Wenarchee.â€)
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