Joint Chiefs Send Rare Protest Letter to 'Wash Post' Over 'Reprehensible' Toles Cartoon

Editor & Publisher ^ | February 1, 2006 | Joe Strupp, Dave Astor and Greg Mitchell

[RWR8189]

NEW YORK A Tom Toles editorial cartoon published in The Washington Post on Monday and on its Web site has drawn a very rare and very strong protest letter to the editors from all six members of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, E&P has learned.

The letter, not yet published by the Post, charges that the six military leaders "believe you and Mr. Toles have done a disservice to your readers and your paper's reputation by using such a callous depiction of those who have volunteered to defend this nation, and as a result, have suffered traumatic and life-altering wounds. ... As the Joint Chiefs, it is rare that we all put our hand to one letter, but we cannot let this reprehensible cartoon go unanswered."

A Pentagon spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the letter to E&P late this afternoon. That the newspaper had received such a letter was first reported on the popular AmericaBlog site, which is run by John Aravosis, this afternoon.

Download a copy of the letter (PDF)

The spokeswoman said a letter from all six joint chiefs to anyone, let alone a newspaper, is rare, but the cartoon so offended them, they wanted to let their feelings be known. "It was expressing their disappointment with the paper and outrage at using that image to make a political point," said Lt. Col. Diane Battaglia. "That is a rare occurrence, but the level of inappropriateness prompted a response of unanimous support."

Battaglia said Post editors told her office that the letter would be published in Thursday's paper. Editorial Page Editor Fred Hiatt declined to comment on the letter. "My policy is I can't talk about letters until we publish them," he told E&P. "If and when a letter runs, I'd be happy to talk about it."

Reached by E&P, Tom Toles said, "no comment."

The Toles cartoon shows a soldier, a quadriplegic, in a hospital, being visited by a Dr. Rumsfeld who is scribbling on a form. Rumsfeld says, "I am listing your condition as battle hardened." At the bottom a smaller figure of the doctor adds, "I'm prescribing that you be stretched thin. We don't define that as torture."

The letter, signed by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Edmund P. Giambastini, Jr., the vice-chairman, and the four other military branch leaders -- and addressed to the Post's managing editor, Philip Bennett -- reveals that they were "extremely disappointed" in the Toles cartoon. "Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon is beyond tasteless," they wrote.

They observed that the paper is "obviously free to address any topic," even use exaggeration. But they added: "While you or some of your readers may not agree with the war or its conduct, we believe you owe the men and women and their families who so selflessly serve our country the decency to not make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices."

Aravosis from AmericaBlog told E&P: "Now that the Joint Chiefs have addressed the insidious threat cartoons pose to our troops, perhaps they can move on to less pressing issues like getting them their damn body armor."

 

[kcvl]

DC-based blogger and privacy advocate John Aravosis made waves on the Web this month when he bought the personal cell-phone records of Wesley Clark ...

Washington political consultant John Aravosis sees evidence of growing dissatisfaction regarding the Abramoff scandal,

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"I know what honor is.
... It has been an honor to protect and serve all of you.
I faced death with the secure knowledge that you would not have to....
Never falter! Don't hesitate to honor and support those of us
who have the honor of protecting that which is worth protecting."

Marine Staff Sergeant Dan Clay

- Killed In Operation Iraqi Freedom
with 9 other fellow US Marines
- Fallujah, Iraq - December 1, 2005

State of The Union Address Transcript

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060131-10.html

White House | January 31, 2006 | President George Bush

"Our nation is grateful to the fallen,
who live in the memory of our country.
We're grateful to all
who volunteer to wear our nation's uniform
-- and as we honor our brave troops,
let us never forget the sacrifices
of America's military families."
Click on a service emblem to send an online
Thank You to a service man or woman in any branch.

Army	Navy	Marines	Air Force	Coast Guard

[Jo Nuvark]

Free Republic Definitions and Terminology

TOLES: (Tom Toles) An early 21st Century Political Cartoonist.
Meanings: Savage, Barbarous, Wild, Uncultivated, Uncouth, Trailer Trash, Primitive, Illiterate, Vulgar, Shameless, Crude, Common, Uncivil, Boorish, Gauche, Churlish, Uneducated, Without Conscience, Despicable.

[Soaring Feather]

Bump!!

[Perlstein]

Gotta say, I'm a liberal who sometimes posts at Free Republic, and I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon. The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders--as the cartoon suggests--just like in Vietnam. If you're not holding those civilian leaders to account, how can you respect the troops?

[Mobile Vulgus]

Heres what I wrote on my blog, Publius' Forum

Amputee Soldiers Are Funny? Not To The Joint Chiefs

Political cartoonist, Tom Toles, thinks amputee soldiers are funny. He created a political cartoon recently that appeared in the Washington post (Mon., Jan. 30th) that showed a quadriplegic soldier, in a hospital bed. He was being visited by "Dr." Rumsfeld. "Dr." Rumsfeld says, "I am listing your condition as battle hardened." At the bottom a smaller figure of the doctor adds, "I'm prescribing that you be stretched thin. We don't define that as torture."

But the Joint Chiefs of US armed forces have sent a rare letter of protest to the paper to take artist Toles and the paper to task.

Editor and Publisher is reporting that the letter protesting this cartoon, the contents of which the paper has not fully disclosed, was signed by all six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

It is being reported that the letter says, in part that, that the Joint Chiefs were "extremely disappointed" in the cartoon. "Using the likeness of a service member who has lost his arms and legs in war as the central theme of a cartoon is beyond tasteless,"

The letter goes on to say, "While you or some of your readers may not agree with the war or its conduct, we believe you owe the men and women and their families who so selflessly serve our country the decency to not make light of their tremendous physical sacrifices."

I couldn't agree more and it is heartening to see the Joint Chiefs finally speaking up against this kind of treatment thrown against our soldiers by hat-mongers and anti-war cretins such as Toles and the Post.

Now if only we could have something said to the "protesters" who parade out in front of the hospitals our soldiers go to for therapy. These protesters harass injured soldiers and their families routinely.

But remember, they really do "support the troops".

...in a pig's eye, they do.

[Delta 21]

I bet the soldier in the cartoon could still kick toles ass, and that Faggot Aravosis too.

[Delta 21]

Youve been listening to Kerry and Murtha too much.

[kcvl]

Liberal blogger, Aravosis: "NBC confirms it's investigating whether Bush spied on CNN's Christiane Amanpour,"

[Perlstein]

If the JCS can distract the public from trenchant criticism by claiming it's disrespectful to the troops--and remember, the cartoon is about RUMSFELD, not the soldier--doesn't that give them a free pass to cover their butts and deflect ANY criticism?

Is it possible that what bothers them isn't the depiction of the soldier, but the sharpness of the criticism of the Pentagon civilians?

[OldFriend]

Not a quadriplegic, a quadruple amputee.

[OldFriend]

Please crawl back over to the DU sewer.

[Alouette]

It's just a stupid, unfunny liberal cartoon but I see no reason to get all bent out of shape over it, especially since we are all laughing at the Moslems for being so outraged by the cartoons that appeared in the Jyllands-Posten.

[roses of sharon]

It's good to see real men as soldiers and civilian leadership protecting this country.

Unlike the sophomoric bathhouse boys in our "newsrooms".

[OldFriend]

Doubtful you would think it just a cartoon if it depicted an Israeli soldier so grievously wounded.

Your response is shocking.

[Eaker]

The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders

I have friends freshly back from the war who completely disagree with this statement.

This cartoon, your statment and the statment by the homo disgusts me.

[TXnMA]

Please crawl back over to the DU sewer.

Yes. Before we flush the toilet and send you there...

[The Iguana]

I actually think Toles is one of the best in the business. I rarely agree with him - and yet he usually makes me laugh. That's the sign of a great cartoonist.

But this one crosses a line. It's in extraordinarily poor taste. As a former cartoonist myself, I know that not every clever idea deserves to leave the drawing board. This was one of them.

[Jo Nuvark]

[The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders]

No Sir. It is you who does not get it. TERRORISTS!!! ...not our civilian leaders... are harming our troops, just like they harmed our civilians on 9-11. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Rice are doing an incredible job of SUPPORTING our troops in spite of anti-American obstructionists like yourself.

[Perlstein]

Eaker, a dozen vets back from Iraq are running for Congress as Democrats. They would agree more with Toles than with you, I think.