Obama pops a zit

I was disappointed reading the news that Obama denounced Rev. Wright today. I must have had too high hopes that Obama's Philadelphia speech back in March would put an end to all the ruckus. Seems it hasn't. I'm no analyst, so whatever I say about the implications of Obama's denouncement doesn't mean much. Ben Smith at the Politico took a good look at it though, see what he had to say.

Democrats, Dogfights & Superdelegates

I'm taking the 'ole "Hillary and Obama are still at it" route with this cartoon. Not proud that I'm pounding this issue down the readers' throats, just like every other cartoonist out there (look at all of them: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13). But, I've also got to consider most folks don't read every cartoon on the American Association for Editorial Cartoonists' web site and therefore won't know I'm doing the same thing as everyone else. So I feel less guilty.

Check out these cartoonists who gave quality angles on the Hillary/Obama issue .

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Matt Davies, Journal News

Jimmy Carter, not stupid

Jimmy Carter has taken a lot of guff in the media for his recent visit with Hamas leaders.

Most political cartoonist are jumping on the anti-Carter bandwagon, see:

William Warren, Wake Forest's The Old Gold and Black . 2008 winner of the Charles M. Schulz, Scripps Howard Foundation national journalism award for college cartooning.

Randy Bish, Tribue-Review

Clay Jones, Free Lance-Star

Steven Lait, Oakland Tribune/MediaNews

Mike Lester, Rome News Tribune

Robert Ariail, The State

Carter is overwhelmingly cast as a tool for terrorists.
I disagree. Carter conversed with these leaders to get their take on peace with Israel. "What do you want?" he asked. And they told him they would peacefully accept Israel as a neighbor if a treaty, accepted by the Palestinian people, returned Israel's border to the one established in 1967.

However unlikely this peace may be, it can only be achieved through open communication between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Unfortunately, many Americans label Hamas a terrorist organization, which is valid given their violent nature, but they dismiss their political legitimacy. Hamas has achieved popular support in Palestinian elections. They represent the interests of a portion of the Palestinian population. They serve a function within the government. With its growing popularity, Hamas's terrorist attacks will likely decrease as the organization tests its political effectiveness.

This creates a difficult situation for an American leader hoping create peace between Israel and Palestine--he must treat a perceived terrorist organization as legitimate representatives of a portion of Palestinians. "The United States doesn't negotiate with terrorists," wholesome Americans say. "You're not winning any brownie points back home."

Fortunately, as a former president, there's no more political ladders for Jimmy Carter to climb and brownie points shouldn't interest him. He's doing the dirty work nobody else wants to do. He's doing something right and everyone thinks he's either an asshole or senile for doing it. I find that admirable. Unfortunate that cartoonists are jumping to the seemingly popular Jimmy Carter bomb belt or terrorist lap dog imagery.

"Here's to you, Mr. Carter."

edit (good cartoons):
MStreeter, of the Savannah Morning News has given a fresh take on Carter

Three new toons + blabber

I just got my registration squared away for SPX 2008. I'm excited to exhibit again, because my experience last year was wonderful. I made a bunch of money selling my cartoons and was able to buy some good books from some great artists.

However, I was under-prepared for the event's scale--I showed up with on the first day with about a dozen photocopied comics and sold out well before the evening ended. This year I'm coming with at least two new books and some large scale art. If I'm really lucky I'll get a spot near an outlet to plug my laptop in for animation stimulation.

Sorry for a short post. At work. Gotta go. Work.