Doonesbury for 10-19-03

New York Times ^ | 10-19-03 | Garry Trudeau

[Flux Capacitor]

Garry Trudeau's slow, public descent into insanity continues. It's been truly remarkable to watch the path "Doonesbury"'s been taking over the last year or so.... even though his politics have always been bullcrap, I used to be able to respect his wit and effectiveness in making his points.... CALMLY.

But today's strip is just the latest example of how incredibly bitter and angry Trudeau's become. Once again, he insults and condescends to his own readers ("an incredible 69% of Americans"), as he did in the "French" strip and in the Recall-Schwarzenegger strip. He doesn't even try to couch his statements within a humorous context anymore, which was what used to make the commentary effective -- he just bluntly and angrily makes them, calling his subjects names or, in this example, literally screaming them at the top of his lungs via Mark Slackmeyer (and turning the character into an incredibly unlikable jerk in the process).

Trudeau really ought to step back from his obsessive hatred of George W. Bush and take a look at what it's doing to his once-cutting strip.

-Dan

[Tijeras_Slim]

The race to be unfunny between Trudeau and Aaron McGruder is taking it's toll.

[BeerSwillr]

Gary who?

[Snuffington]

Were the folks who ran the airplane hijacking camp south of Baghdad informed? I hope not. It just sort of makes all their hard effort seem sort of pointless. Might hurt their self-esteem.

[Semper Paratus]

Hey Gary, people don't like to shouted at Sunday morning.

[Gothmog]

I thought all the angry white males were too busy in CA voting for Schwarzenegger to write cartoons. At least that's what the media tells me.

[jalisco555]

It's been truly remarkable to watch the path "Doonesbury"'s been taking over the last year or so...

The only thing I disagree with you about is the statement that Trudeau's decline has only ocurred during the past year. I think that he lost his bearings after Reagan was elected and hasn't been the same since. Read his strips from the 70's and you'll be amazed how funny and sharp he was but starting in the 80's he lost his sense of humor and hasn't gotten it back. His bitter, preachy and didactic style is not new.

[crz]

He's a frog. So what'd'ya expect?

[Naspino]

Well these people think our war should have been against the 19 hijackers. Not the peaceful freedom fighters of Al Queda. The WH said there was no link between Saddam and 9/11 that we know of but many links between Saddam and Al Queda. This is like said there is no link between Trudeau and humor. While fact that he has none he does have a comic in the funnies.

[Richard Kimball]

Trudeau quit drawing the strip when he went on vacation several years ago. What he was actually doing at that time was auditioning illustrators. I also seriously doubt that he writes his own stuff anymore. I knew he'd lost it when his response to 9/11 was to put Zonker standing in the middle of the bombed WTC with his fist in the air shouting "Peace out, dawgs!" He's totally out of touch, and also so totally convinced of his own intellectual superiority that I don't even bother. I see one of his strips MAYBE once every six months, by accident.

[SamAdams76]

This is supposed to be a comic? Looks like something Joseph Goebbels would have put together had he been a cartoonist instead of a propagandist. Come to think of it, Trudeau seems to have merged the two pretty well.

[Empireoftheatom48]

100% pure lefty JERK!!!!!

[BigLittle]

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs." -- From a letter signed by Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Milulski, Tom Daschle, & John Kerry among others on October 9, 1998

"This December will mark three years since United Nations inspectors last visited Iraq. There is no doubt that since that time, Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to refine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer- range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies." -- From a December 6, 2001 letter signed by Bob Graham, Joe Lieberman, Harold Ford, & Tom Lantos among others

"Saddam's goal ... is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed." -- Madeline Albright, 1998

"Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its agreement." -- Barbara Boxer, November 8, 2002

More Here

[Burkeman1]

last year or so....

Where have you been? Why torture yourself by reading him at all? He has always been insane.

[ridesthemiles]

Trudeau is married to Jane Pauley of NBC fame. She recently quit the active media. Do you suppose she is trying to care for Gary as he decends into insanity? Just wondering.

[FReepaholic]

>>...Were the folks who ran the airplane hijacking camp south of Baghdad informed?...<<

Salman Pak

[Old Sarge]

Looks like something Joseph Goebbels would have put together had he been a cartoonist instead of a propagandist.

Gary Trudeau? Nie Wieder!

[Tacis]

I simply do not understand the obsession of the neocommunists with this point. Cohen's column this morning hit the same talking point. How do they KNOW there is no connection between 9/11 and Saddam?

In fact, it seems quite logical that there is a connection between 9/11, Saddam, the Saudis, Syria, and half the Muslims in the US. 9/11 wasn't a result of a bunch of guys meeting in a bar on 9/4, talking about a plan, and then, executing it a week later. It took a lot of work over a long time. The Saudis did the murders and probably paid for it. But, the Saudi murderers were young, with little experience planning such an operation (including the parts that DIDN'T work). The Iraqi military, after waging a major war against Iran, spent 10 years buying secret military supplies all over the world and selling contraband crude oil to pay for it and their own personal wealth. They ceratinly had the organizational skills.

It just is so intuitively logical that they were involved. Simlarly, how can these America-hating traitors claim so vigorously that there is no connection? I guess it is the same logic they used that said that Willie couldn't have intentionally bombed the Chinese embassy as a diversion because we had no proof of a new willie bimbo.

[IncPen]

How do they KNOW there is no connection between 9/11 and Saddam?

They don't. In fact, they believe that such a link will be shown eventually, and they're doing their best to get as many people on board to doubt the truth when it comes out as they can.

The truth will out. Whether anyone believes the truth depends on how fast the left can work in the meantime.

They hate Bush.

[Burkeman1]

Besides, this is nothing. Trudeau was at his most viscious when Reagan was in office. I think he even made fun of Reagan's Alzheimer's disease in the mid 90's.