Cartoon for January 31

Watching Bush’s last State of the Union Address (OK, his last scheduled State of the Union Address) made me a tad wistful for the arrogant coup leader who threatened a military coup in 2000, suspended habeas corpus, legalized torture and signed himself the right to declare you an enemy combatant and have you murdered by government agents. Such small-bore initiatives! Such a sad spectacle!

If Bush leaves the public arena as scheduled in January 2009, it is safe to say that political cartoonists shan’t see his kind again in our lifetimes. He is what Nixon was to an earlier generation of political satirists: pure gold. Go not gently into that good political night, not-so-gentle fiend!

Cartoon for January 28

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Cartoon for January 26

There’s always been a desire to vote for the most likely winner, but the 2008 presidential race has accelerated this inane trend, thanks in no small part to media coverage that validates determining an early winner (maybe it’s cheaper to cover one candidate than six?). The New York Times, endorsing Hillary Clinton in the New York primary, openly stated in its editorial that it did not consider endorsing John Edwards because he was a “long shot.” (Never mind that he might not be a long shot if the Times endorsed him, or the paper’s conscious–and unconscionable–role in reducing his chances.)

Funny, I was under the impression that we were supposed to vote for the best candidate, and let the election returns fall where they may.

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Cartoon for January 21

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