How old are you?
The photo from the Viet Nam war has always haunted me. It has a visceral reaction, and I am sorry if you think I am clueless, but this is a poorly done effort, because most people's reactions are NOT what the cartoonist intended.
It should not have been run, if for no other reason than that the hate-filled left will have some folks who think summary execution of the President is a good idea.
Most FReepers were OK during Clinton. But they got crazier after Bush, and much crazier after 9/11.
As for the cartoon it is intended to be pro bush...
The picture in question that cartoon is copied from, is famed on the left as showing an evil South Vietnamese unjustly committing a summery execution of a bound prisoner
With Bush being beat up unjustly over uranium issue the cartoon point is bush is being unjustly executed on a trumped up charge by a kangaroo court ...
Picking and image famed on the left for showing just that shoves it right in there face....
I’m sure the 60’s leftover leftist LA Times readers got it.....
But Ramirez screw up in forgetting other might not
Be gentle with your fellow Freepers. We have every reason to be defensive and to expect the worse from the press right now. Calmer voices will prevail in the end. Still, if thoughtful Freepers respond instantly in this way, what might an inflamed actual Bush-hater do seeing that pic?
Did you ever read the transcript of the UN racism conference - a week of anti-American, anti-Israel bashing - ending 9-9-01?
1) Ugly caricature of Bush.
2) Portrays Bush as an impotent President with his hands tied (when in fact he's rapidly crushing what was once a large insurgent movement in Iraq.)
3) Cartoon makes a veiled suggestion that his political enemies may actually attempt violence against Bush. Given the context of numerous other threats of violence against Bush by left-wingers, the cartoon could be perceived by left-wing nuts as a suggestion to use violence against Bush.
4) Cartoon indirectly makes the usual false liberal accusation that Iraq is "another Vietnam" (when in fact the strategic situation there is much less difficult than what we faced in Vietnam).
So on the whole I would call this a clever attack cartoon against Bush, which at first glance may appears somewhat sympathetic. See, it isn't quite as simple as you thought (in your legendary superior mind).
I'm surprised that we don't have more knee problems amongst the FReepers, what with all the jerking going on...