Who's Your Daddy?: Attacking Bush and Cheney's Service Records

Nick Anderson of the Louisville Courier-Journal depicts a somber scene of President Bush and Vice President Cheney overlooking the unloading of the caskets of American soldiers in his political cartoon. Three coffins and the beginning of a fourth descend from the opening of a large grey freight plane on grey conveyor belt. They are wrapped in the American flag and numbered "999," "1000" and "1001." A caricature of President Bush with a large mouth, dots for eyes, and ears that stick out, stands next to the much taller Cheney, who has a grimace of boredom on his face. "I guess their daddies didn't know the right people...," Bush remarks, as he stands on a grey tiled floor. The background is bleak with the only color in the scene coming from the flags on the caskets.

Anderson has the only color in the cartoon come from the flags because he wants your attention drawn to these coffins. The numbering of the coffins represents the American death toll in Iraq passing one thousand this past week. The representation of George W. Bush, namely the short stature, large ears, and use of the word "daddies," displays him as a small, foolish child. Meanwhile, Cheney is depicted as unmoved by the sight, and his large size displays the cartoonist's opinion that he has more power than Bush. President Bush's quote in the cartoon refers to the well-publicized fact that Cheney and Bush did not serve in active duty in Vietnam.

Not only do I disagree with the main statement of this cartoon, but I also believe it to be in very poor taste. The records of Vietnam duty are very clear and well known in that John Kerry served two tours, Bush was a member of the Texas Air National Guard, and Cheney stayed out of duty due to a number of draft deferments.1 In my opinion, that is as far as the Vietnam discussions should go. I believe both sides of the political spectrum have brought a war that was fought over thirty years ago into an election that has plenty of current issues to deal with. As for the particular message in this cartoon, I believe that it is more of an insult to the American soldiers in Iraq than it is an attack of the president and vice president's service records. I believe the implication that these soldiers died simply because their fathers do not have connections is absurd and offensive. I am aware that the cartoonist is displaying this sentiment as that of a simple minded George W. Bush, but Anderson's own views come through very strongly. I think this cartoon belittles the sacrifices of the men and women who have voluntarily joined the armed forces and defend this country. If their had been a full scale draft for the war in Iraq, this cartoon may carry meaning and significance, but as it stands the cartoon disrespects the brave soldiers who lost their lives in battle.



1) AFP, "Angry Kerry lashes out at Bush and Cheney over Vietnam Service."