SlowpokeBlog

The second panel of this cartoon is an oblique reference to the sleazy ads run against Vietnam vet and triple-amputee Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia in 2002, in which Osama's face appears just before his. Coincidentally, I saw Max Cleland speak today at a rally for senatorial candidate Jim Webb, who is running against George "macaca" Allen. A hush fell over the cheering U.Va crowd as Webb wheeled Cleland onto the stage. Cleland delivered a spirited introduction for Webb, noting that both he and Webb (as well as vets Kerry and McCain) have suffered outlandish smears at the hands of the GOP. Webb wrapped up his speech with a nice line about how these character assassins need to find a third-world dictator to work for.

I was going to take pictures, but my digital camera conveniently developed a glitch just beforehand. Sorry.

The third panel of this week's strip refers to the disgusting race-baiting campaign being run by Bob Corker against Harold Ford in Tennessee in which, among other things, a blonde bimbo claims she met Ford (who is black) at a Playboy party. Talking Points Memo has been covering the ads extensively.

Kindly spare me any arguments that "both sides do it." One side does it on a much grander and nastier scale than the other. It is not partisan to point that out. It is far more objective to say the Republicans engage in dirty smear politics more than the Democrats do than it is to say "both sides do it." If the Democrats ever tried to engage in Republican-style character assassination, they would be ridiculed by the mainstream media so much you'd never hear the end of it. It's all part of the double standard commonly known as IOKIYAR -- It's OK If You're a Republican. These ads are destroying our democracy more than any terrorist, and they need to be tightly regulated or banned altogether. I'm serious. You can't wear political advertising into a polling place, yet these ads are legal? Give me a break!

On a lighter note, after learning of my reference to Rob Halford, Mr. Slowpoke dug out his copy of Judas Priest -- Unleashed in the East for inspiration while I drew the cartoon. Mr. Slowpoke, whose musical taste is admirably far-reaching, tried to convince me it was a great album. I will admit to liking the Judas Priest song "Livin' After Midnight."