Jon Stewart Slams the Media for Perpetuating Outrageous Obama Smears
By SilentPatriot Tuesday Jul 15, 2008 11:50am
"The Daily Show" was in top form last night as they called out every single cable news network for helping spread the myriad scurrilous and unfounded rumors about Senator Obama.
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t to the wonderful Heather)
Obama's camp initially agreed that the cartoon was "tasteless and offensive". Really? You know what your response should have been...let me put this statement out for you. Barack Obama is in no way upset about the cartoon that depicts him as a Muslim extremist because you know who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists, of which Barack Obama is not. It's just a f%#!-ing cartoon! But as always, no where was the anger at the media hotter, than in the media.
Even though these coordinated lies about Barack Obama are shameful and disturbing, the fact remains that this presents a real problem for his campaign. According to a recent Newsweek poll, a whopping 29% of respondents said they believe Obama was raised a Muslim, while a significant 12% said Obama was sworn in on the Qur'an. Indeed, most of the reservations I hear from close friends about thier reluctance to vote for Obama revolve around their doubts about his "character," most of which are exacerbated by these deliberate and coordinated distortions.
This is where the whole New Yorker cartoon comes into play. Although many have argued that the whole controversy is a net gain for Obama -- because it vividly illustrated the absurdity of the lies, therefore debunking it on a wider scale than otherwise possible -- I tend to agree with those who think it's harmful to the cause of setting the record straight. Regardless of whether or not you found the satirical cover funny and clever, I fear it may have just reinforced the false impressions people may (or may not) have had.
In the end, though, it's almost kind of humorous. After the whole Jeremiah Wright saga, you would think everyone would recognize that Obama is, in fact, a Christian. I think Kos said it best when he wrote this:
[The Wright scandal] really puts Obama's smear merchants in a bind -- do they push false rumors that he's a secret Muslim bent on delivering America to Al Qaida, or is he a member of an intolerant and radical black Christian church?
While I know the crazies on the Right have a remarkable power to ignore the laws of reality, science, and logic in pursuit of their wrongheaded ideology, trying to float both these theories at once might be a stretch, even for them.
Unfortunately I think Markos may have misunderestimated the power of the right wing smear machine and its ability to convince more than a handful of people that both lies are simultaneously true.
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They've pretty much trained the populace to react like a pavlovian dog to this stuff. Why is anyone surprised that all it takes is a rumor and the populace will vote against their own best interests every time.
You forget, of course, that Wright is a secret Muslim and TUCC is in league with the Muslim extremists.
It's too bad we have to care about what ignorant people think. They should be required to pass logic or honesty test before they're allowed to vote.
i feel like i have entered a funhouse/house of mirrors and i can't get out...
this whole 'controversy' exposes the ridiculousness of the media, the campaigns and the sad state of american involvement in politics.
when an offensive (to some. satirical to others) cover becomes the big news story, when discussions about fist jabs/flag pins/etc become front page material you can just feel the visigoths at the border.
i feel like the candidates are running for president of the condo association, not president of the united states
Good on him/ this a.m. on CSpan the hostess even told a caller who claimed Obama is a muslim that he was wrong, Obama is not.
The Daily Show stopped being funny a long time ago. Jon Stewart isn't funny and he doesn't ask tough questions of conservatives. He likes to be cute and toss softballs.
Shame on you Jon Stewart.
And of course those who harbor concerns about Obama's character are those who still support the coke-snortin, alcoholic, business failure rich kid who is the current Simperor in Chief.
I think a lot of people 'believe' all this crap just so they don't have to admit to themselves and others they are really racist. They don't have to say 'I won't vote for Obama because he is Black.' They can just 'believe' he's a Muslim...not realizing that is just another form of bigotry.
I received an email claiming Obama said he wouldn't stand during the National Anthem because it was a song based on war. It went on to say he'd rather our national song be more like the Coke song "I want to buy the World a Coke'. I did a little looking around and found some Arizona right winger (supposedly in jest) wrote that as satire. I'm sure he NEVER realized someone with half an education and a need to believe crap like that would take it as true.
I'm offended by Jon making fun of people who should be offended by their colleagues' behavior but are, instead, offended by something that is offensive in its non-offensiveness.
And now I'm offended by your reaction to the sentence above.
Oh ... and now you are really p*ssing me off.
A simple test of the New Yorker magazine would be to ask them to do a similar magazine cover for Senator McCain (the difference would unavoidably be that it's true for Senator McCain) and see what the reaction is.
Go on. I dare them.
Nada @ 1:
Sadly true.
When polls show that U.S. voters actually have changed from a majority supporting protecting ANWR to a slight majority favoring drilling there, when no gain will be realized from it for at least ten years, if then, sometimes I wonder if we're ready for self-government.
From the C&L post on Katrina oil spills being whisked away by GoP lies, http://cabdrollery.blogspot.com/2008/07/when-to-use-magic-wands.html
Samson- @ 4:
Puhleeze, George Bush couldn't run my condo association. It takes gumption he doesn't have.
George: "Despite all the negativity and whining, your shower stall is not leaking into the downstairs tenants' bathroom. Trust me on this. Things are getting better. We must stay the course."
So what if he were a Muslim? What would be wrong with that? Would someone PLEASE explian that! Thanks.
Yeah, but it's just "parody", especially when the reich-wing goes out of their way to convince the populous that it's true and a large segment of the population still believes these lies....but, it's just a "parody" of which really isn't that funny....but, remember, it's just a "parody".
I've been writing about this here and here. You write above:
Irony and outright mockery are our best weapon against the smears, and that's what this cover is, despite the earnest efforts of the talking heads not to get the joke. People looking at this cover are going to get it, by and large -- it's not reinforcement because it's impossible for anyone but the most transcendentally unsavvy observer to take seriously.
Irony is a very powerful weapon -- that's why Ingsoc tries to eliminate it in 1984.
WakeUpAmerica! @ 13:
Nothing wrong with it, but it's not true.
this will trickle down to simpletons.......there are people
out their that want to believe this caricature.......
bobbie @ 8:
You bring up a very good point. Claiming that Obama is a Muslim is just another way for some people to get around the unpopular racial slurs. Especially since degrading Muslim people is so in vogue today just like degrading Jews was during the reign of Nazi Germany.
"This is where the whole New Yorker cartoon comes into play. Although many have argued that the whole controversy is a net gain for Obama — because it vividly illustrated the absurdity of the lies, therefore debunking it on a wider scale than otherwise possible — I tend to agree with those who think it’s harmful to the cause of setting the record straight. Regardless of whether or not you found the satirical cover funny and clever, I fear it may have just reinforced the false impressions people may (or may not) have had."
I slightly agree, but I also think Obama had the opportunity to turn this into a plus if he did the same thing he did with "Clark-gate:: i.e. state that "I don't think this is the sort of thing that causes (Americans) to lose sleep at night".
This is just another distraction.
Re: Steve-O
As much as I wish Jon Stewart would get tougher with his guests at times, you have to realize that's not his job and he knows it. He hosts a comedy news program on a comedy channel. The fact that he points out truth and hypocrisy at times is laudable, but really sad because he shouldn't have to. And the fact he makes it all funny is icing on the cake. Don't criticize Stewart for doing his job, hosting a "fake news show". Applaud him for doing what he's doing and has been doing so well for so long.
Have a good day.
John Cage
WakeUpAmerica! @ 13:
There is nothing wrong with it at all. I attend classes and talk with Muslim folks all the time at my college. They are some of the best people I know.
Kos was wrong again! These scumbags have constantly floated conflicting lies. they found out long ago that Joe and Betty Sixpack don't read much, watch the same channels as their friends ALL the time, and don't associate outside their small close circle.
Hell, you see that here on this site!
The people who don't get the joke would never have voted for Obama anyway.
Any group that can convince themselves that the Theory of Evolution is wrong based on what they read in the Bible, and also believe that despite binging omitted from the Bible, man once lived in harmony with herbivorous dinosaurs with carnivore teeth, no doubt believing that Barack Obama is simultaneously a racist Christian and and a fanatical Islamic should be child's play.
Well someone has to I guess. Obama defenders are hard to come by these days.
When you look at the Electorate, you gotta think, who in the hell would want to represent all these crazy bastards. Any public discourse on the candidates gotten to the point of just being ridiculous and so dumbed down that it just reeks of the hopelessness this country is facing.
Um Steve-o can you say "fake news" perhaps you haven't noticed but it's a comedy show unlike the news shows which are just farces.
I firmly believe that a majority of people who say "I won't vote for Obama because he is a muslim" really mean "I won't vote for Obama because he is a black man." Wouldn't want to sound racist ya know. And I know some repugs that think all muslims should be dead muslims. But of course they love Bush too. The stupidity of the American people continues to amaze me.
It's the same all over. The right wing of Al Qaeda smears its left of being secretly Zionist or crypto-Christian. Anybody in disfavor in the mid-east gets accused of spying of Israel as a matter of course, as an opening gambit till the powers that be can find something to make more plausible charges possible (or just disappear the person if they cannot be bothered).
After all, the Rev. Wright had positive words for Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam. That makes Wright a secret Muslim, hence no stretch to have Obama simultaneously Christian and Muslim, and the very most evil strain of both naturally.
a couple months ago there was a post on this site about "things that McCain is older than". I lolled because it was hilarious. it was as comical as Chuck Norris jokes but awesomer because, well, it was true.
McCain is older than Superman. McCain is older than the ball point pen. McCain is older than anti-marijuana laws. McCain is older than freeways. McCain is older than the recipe for chocolate chip cookies. McCain is older than shopping carts. etc..
there were some hand-wringers who said "oh hey, we need to take the high road, lets not be age-ist."
I disagree. I think if McCain's supporters in mainstream media are going to push racist and classist memes, then those of us in the viral/grassroots/blogger communities should have no qualms pushing ageist memes.
hell... at least our rude jokes are factually accurate. Obama was never sworn in on a Koran. McCain, however, was born before the discovery of plutonium.
Net Gain for Obama for people that inform or educate themselves
Problem is Obama has these voters
Obama needs the low information voters which believe the smears and Media propaganda
The low information voters will take The New Yorker as representation of the Obama's not as satire
Oh,..ha ha,.. that's OK, I'm sure all the Mike Meehans of the world will all know the New Yorker cover was all in good fun right?
Boy I'm sure glad we're all intelligent and good natured enough to get a laugh from this.
john j @ 31:
No wonder the government isn't worried about better education. They want to keep Americans dumb enough to vote for them.
It's manufactured controversy and C&R is eating it up. This is the second entry on this non-issue at crooks and liars.
Let me break it down, the cartoon shows:
Obama dressed in Muslim garb giving his wife a "terrorist fist jab".
Michelle Obama with a militant black panther afro toting an AK-47.
A picture of Osama Bin Laden over a fireplace in which an American flag is burning.
In my book that's funny. It's most certainly satirical if not down-right hilarious. It's a razor blade cutting through the mainstream media's retarded obsession with internet rumors started by fundamentalist whack-jobs and drooling hillbillies.
It's a response to every asshat who thinks "Hussein" is a suspicious middle name. It's a response to the ludicrous suggestion that a fist-bump is somehow a "terrorist fist jab" or that wearing a god-damned flag lapel pin is somehow an issue in today's fucked up world. I personally don't give two craps if Obama was sworn-in on a copy of the Devil's Dictionary, as long as he can tackle real issues that affect me and my family.
The daily show has a segment called, "Baracknaphobia" where they do the same thing. Last week they showed an obviously photo-shopped picture of Obama wearing a "road flair vest". It looked like a suicide bomb, and it too was hilarious.
I'm going out and getting a subscription to the New Yorker before my head explodes.
Humor is the last refuge of the enlightened. We left-wingers are funny. There's no doubt about it. Have you ever been entertained by a truly funny conservative? Answer: no.
The cover only acknowledged the false claims about Obama, it didn't debunk them. Why didn't the New Yorker parody the source of these myths, such as Fox News and Limbaugh?
The reality that this cartoon has created such an uproar is proof in itself that at first glance it is offensive, tasteless and highly suggestive. If the "joke" has to be pointed out at all, it really isn't a joke at all. I am not an idiot or a red-necked anything and I did not "get it" when I saw it. Instead, I felt an initial rage against the New Yorker and the artist for toying with people's ability to "get it."
BTW, I forgot to add that I myself found the New Yorker cover offensive, as the satire was entirely too subtle. If they had only enclosed the cover in a cartoon speech or thought balloon and had a little wingnut at his keyboard in the left bottom corner (so it wouldn't be covered by the mailing label) it would IMHO have been pretty much acceptable. How in hell can you distinguish identical messages from left and right, and claim the message from the left is satire or irony, and that from the right slander? I am waiting for Red State or World Nut Daily to trot that cover out as evidence that EVERYBODY agrees that BHO is a secret Muslim. You know it will happen.
Rationality doesn't necessarily sweep away rationality--in fact, rarely. People can hold mutually incompatible ideas at the same time. It's called cognitive dissonance. An in any case, regarding Obama, it's fear of a black planet, to crib Public Enemy. So sure, it's a radical black church or secret Muslims.
Character is code, otherwise it's hard to see how McCain has a reputation for "character" for anything other than his stay in the Hanoi Hilton.
Boy, wasn't that the greatest career opportunity he ever had. Yup, I just said that.
A good percentage of the population could probably be convinced by Fox that the New Yorker cover is actually a family photograph ...
all the careless listener hears is "... Barack Obama ... Muslim ..."
They don't have to convince anyone of _both_ lies.
They just convinced *some* of one, and *some* of the other; and this works even BETTER, because as soon as you convince your conservative friend that Obama _isn't_ a Muslim, then he hear's that Obama is a member of a RADICAL RACIST church; which MUST be true since you, his liberal friend, had just told him "no, no, he's TOTALLY Christian;" clearly you only gave him half the story, you dirty liberal! And now he can go on, confident in the correctness of his distrust of Obama.
29% believe he was raised a Muslim and 28% believe Bush is doing a good job and Iraq is hunky dorry...A moron is a moron
well....I thought it was funny....it wraps all the urban legends up in one cartoon.
so that makes 3 of us here in West Virginia who actually "got it".
Now I'm waiting for The New Yorker to do a "Manchurian Candidate" cartoon on McCain......oh wait, that tale may be TRUE!
The conflict was resolved by the woman who, when asked how Obama could be Muslim AND radical Christian, dropped her voice and murmered: "He's a SPY!"
I think the video was on the Daily Show.
Steve-O @ 6:
Dude, it's a comedy show, not a news program. Get a life and get in touch with reality. Asking the "tough questions" isn't his job.
ricchase @ 37:
You didn't get it? I hate to be rude, but what's not to get?
You can argue as to whether or not it's funny, but to say that somebody... anybody... with a fully functioning brain could see this as anything other than satire is beyond belief. Yeah, sure there's going to be some toothless nitwit in rural Georgia who thinks that dang cartoon is HI-larious, but he's probably a lost cause anyway; and he's probably so dumb he won't be able to find the voting booth come November. And since when has any of these types ever subscribed to or even heard of The New Yorker?
Really?? Admittedly, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I saw this for what it was immediately– satire and irony. Funny? To me, yes. But that's the only debate that can go on with this.
Sorry if I sound rude, but I just can't help myself.
Steve-O @ 6:
Yes, that's the trouble with COMEDY f***ing SHOWS! They don't ask the tough questions. Neither does SPACE GHOST.
bajaboy @ 46:
Whether or not it is a comedy show, it does participate in discourse as a news source, and discusses serious topics. The way I see it, however you feel about the New Yorker cartoon, so should you feel about The Daily/Report.
Any cartoonist should use this idea - A bunch people driving by a HUGE BILLBOARD showing Obama as the New yorker cover , in a turban w/ ; militant wife ; burning flag ; bin laden pic and the so called article debunking the issue he is a muslim & the rest , as a tiny magazine laying in front of the billboard .
Unfortunately if you believe the new yorker , MOST people will probably never read the article and ONLY see the picture , secondly it obviously failed since the picture is way over shadowing their alleged intent .
The artist went out of the way to bring up every baseless accusation and THEN some to indirectly prove a point , so what about McCain in Vietnamese Military Uniform and accusation of him collaborating with the enemy . What about the accusation of Bush being Hitler and taking away our rights , put him in a NAZI uniform ..NO some images are acceptable for ridicule and some are verboten . Kind of like it's ok to make racist jokes about ARABS in the main stream media , but anything about jews is off base and quickly denounced .
Regurgitating baseless and vile accusations by FAUX NEWS and their trolls seems to be the MO of even the main stream media , especially cable . I got problems with Obama , but that has to do with leaving troops in IRAQ to " protect out interests " , not silly diversionary attempts to smear him with idiotic stuff like him not being Christian or not wearing a FLAGGGGG PIN or being unpatriotic .
burnt @ 30:
And the flip side of this is the fact that the young voters that Obama is bringing into the fold have never known a world in which:
there were no cellphones
there was no e-mail
there was no MTV
Gasoline had lead in it
The lsit goes on and on, but you get the point, I'm sure
Joe Scarborough: Jon Stewart and The Daily Show are "Hacks for the Democratic Party"
Joe Scarborough: I don't want to hear anybody from The Daily Show or any of these other shows ever saying again, "We speak truth to power." Because you know what they do? They speak truth to Republicans. Republicans are funny. they've been idiots and jackasses over the past seven years. But, please, don't be subversive, because you're not. Because you're a hack. A hack for the Democratic Party, and you only tell jokes about one side.
Mika Brzezinski: No, this is not about being in the tank.
John Harwood: I don't think they're hacks for the Democratic Party.
Joe Scarborough: They're hacks.
Mika Brzezinski: You are unbelievable.
What I'm now asking myself is how did the New Yorker manage to survive for over 75 years in a country that must be one of the dumbest on the face of the earth?
Satirists Riot Over The New Yorker Obama Cartoon
Billy Shears @ 52:
True that, my brother. Best thing I've read all day.
johnnypunchclock @ 47:
There's also going to be people in California, people with a full set of teeth and no southern accent whatsoever, who believe the cover represents the truth. Believe me, I'm a native Californian, and Georgia (or the south in general) have no monopoly on idiots and racists.
I personally found the cartoon just not funny at all, if anything the lameness of it is what I find offensive.
Anyhow, they are in their right to publish it. That is the beauty of the 1st amendment, and I have the right to not give two shits about that publication.
This is a faux outrage if you ask me. There are far more important issues at hand, and that is what pisses me off about the MSM; they move from prefab story to prefab story, while completely ignoring reality and those stories that deserve true attention. But reality tends to cast the current powers that be a very bad light... so they make shit up like this diversionary crap.
I must say, that if anything is a bit of an upgrade from the constant Britney Spears/Paris Hilton crap, at least the diversionary story is somewhat indirectly related to something of interest (the election).
Oh, and one last comment. I really think the New Yorker is full of crap, why? I am not expecting them to do a similar cover about the McCains or Whitey anytime soon if ever. So yeah... sure, just having some good old time fun.
jafari @ 49:
Apples and oranges dude...
john j @ 51:
Joe must be fumming that a comedy crew of hacks gets to have ratings orders of magnitude larger than his shitty show.
Talk about not being able to hack it...
The cartoon is a BRILLIANT piece of satire.
Proof? EVERYBODY'S GETTING THEIR KNICKERS IN A KNOT ABOUT IT, ESPECIALLY THE HYPOCRITES IN THE MEDIA WHO ENGAGE IN THE SAME VILE STEREOTYPING THE CARTOONIST IS LAMPOONING. THEY'RE TOO F*CKING DUMB TO REALIZE THEY ARE THE REAL TARGETS OF THE CARTOON.
Stewart is right on the money.
Obama should have laughed the whole thing off. That would have been the smartest, classiest response.
Please go to the following AOL poll site and vote:
http://www.aol.com/
Right now, it shows McCain beating Obama 69% to 31%. Of course, 77% of the respondents are white and there's no shortage of bigots on AOL as we all know! Thanks...
The cartoon lacked a proper frame of reference.
It would be equally at home on the cover of either the National Review or the New Yorker.
For this reason I believe it was unsuccessful.
bajaboy @ 55:
You're right. Absolutely right. I can see it clearly now. In my mind, I can see the people you're describing. There's so many of them! From every area of the country! All drooling! And, what's that?! They're all carrying something in their hands! Oh, my God! They are all carrying copies of.... the NEW YORKER!!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus, Sweet Baby Jesus HELP US, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pinkobait @ 61:
Since when does a cartoon require a 'frame of reference'?
That's like demanding that comedians explain their jokes. Dumb.
Hilarious.
The band Rush will be on Colbert Report tonite.
Colbert was the master of satire when he invited a leading Buddhist to discuss Obama's Church Search. Now that's how you do it, New Yorker.
The New Yorker cover failed because it attempted to reveal a truth about falsehoods. Too ambitious and ended up reinforcing the lies. Am I all in a twist about it? No. But I am pretty tired of the sixth grade level smears that tend to be so effective in our society.
Grow up America! Or we'll get another Bush.
Steve-O @ 6:
Yeah, he's treating the damn thing like some kinda comedy show.
Dr. Hussein Matt @ 14:
I demand you change your handle, then. It's offensive, making light of a misconception regarding Barack Obama's name being the last name of a former Middle Eastern dictator.
People need to get a grip. I don't care if you didn't get a chuckle out of it and no one else does either. I found it funny, so did zillions of others who also form their own opinions and don't need "Dr. Hussein Matt" to spoonfeed it to them.
And here we have Crooks and Liars, applauding Jon Stewart even though he's mocking people who are taking the cover thing too seriously - a group that includes Crooks and Liars.
dosido @ 66:
I don't see it that way at all. The New Yorker was ruthlessly pointing out just how racist and ignorant the United States has been as of late, culminating with their hideous treatment of Barack and Michelle Obama. One thing that's easy to forget is that you can take any joke, or piece of text, or video clip, and examine it ad nauseam until it's completely removed from context as well as perspective. In short, people are thinking about all of this too damn hard.
what a field day for the creeps. even arianna's blubbering rage, surrounded with the stench of hypocrisy, gave me a chuckle. does obama need a pillow?
"In the end, though, it’s almost kind of humorous."
Yeah, almost. Until they start handing out muslim headwear out at the republican convention and McCain is our next president because the people in the 'real' world don't get bare satire. Effective satire involves context and subtext. Blitt and the NYer are counting on the public to carry these into the joke. They shouldn't.
This whole thing reminds me of the Dukakis in the tank photo. We thought it was real funny, everybody else thought something different. Until we learn that images matter we will continue to lose the propaganda wars and subsequentially the country.
Comedy/satire is like art. Some of it you like, some of it you don't. Stewart (and his staff) rarely fail to make me laugh. My in-laws? Not so much...
dosido @ 66:
Good luck with that.
moniker @ 36:
Inside the New Yorker the title of the cartoon is listed as "The Politics of Fear". Now does it make sense? This magazine is elitist and assumes that the reader is sophisticated - their jokes need some 'splainin.
The party invented double-think, remember?
As a centrist, I find the reaction to this cartoon well, weird. Up until now I had only taken conservatives to be satire-impaired (see FOX's failed Daily Show rip-off as reference) but apparently there are those on the left side of the spectrum whose knickers get knotted just as easily for apparently similar reasons.
Let me spell this out blatantly. Satire is the humour of intelligence. If you "don't get it" it's not because it's not funny, it's because YOU don't get it and the Daily Show segments about the cartoon illustrated that brilliantly. To appreciate it you must not only be smart but informed. If you're not one of those things, it may lose you. If you're neither of those things, then you probably voted for Bush... Snobbery? Elitism? Maybe. But maybe those are the words you use when you want to villify someone else rather than admit your own shortcomings.
Never before in history has mainstream media worked so hard to see that 100% of the American people understand the literal truth about ANYTHING as they have to make sure not one person in the country thinks Barack Obama is a Muslim.
Meanwhile, if Hillary Clinton went on later to become the most successful two-term president of all time her obituary in every newspaper and on every television news show in the land will remind us, "She said she dodged bullets, ducked and ran for cover from sniper fire", something she has never said in word or print. Ever.
Funny how that works, isn't it?
"[The Wright scandal] really puts Obama’s smear merchants in a bind — do they push false rumors that he’s a secret Muslim bent on delivering America to Al Qaida, or is he a member of an intolerant and radical black Christian church?"
Grewgills @ 2:
Beat me to it.
The wingers will simply state the Wright and Obama are in league with Farakkhan.
johnnypunchclock @ 35:
moniker @ 36:
Like this:
Barbara in BC @ 74:
How pathetic that this cartoon should require any explanation.
Here's an article with images of three other New Yorker covers by Barry Blitt:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13/barry-blitt-addresses-his_n_112...
Note the two that refer to the Bush Administration - one 'Odd Couple' spoof, with Bush as dweeby Felix to Cheney's oafish, dominant Oscar, and one,