Scott McClellan's Book Is Fodder for Many Editorial Cartoons

By: Dave Astor Editorial cartoonists have done dozens of drawings about Scott McClellan's new book during the past two days.

Some cartoonists enthusiastically supported the former White House press secretary's criticism of George W. Bush for actions such as the push to invade Iraq. Others wished McClellan had broken with the president earlier, and some said the author turned turncoat for the money.

A few cartoonists also seconded McClellan's slam of the media for being too soft on Bush. For instance, J.D. Crowe of the Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., drew McClellan telling the media: "I was a shill for the Bush/Cheney propaganda machine, and you took everything I said at face value." One press member in the audience thinks to himself: "We're pathetic."

Ann Telnaes of CartoonArts International/New York Times Syndicate shows a media person as a sheep reading McClellan's "What Happened" book and saying: "We weren't that baaad, were we?"

Telnaes did a second cartoon picturing coffins of American soldiers coming out of a plane. "Now McClellan tells us...," says a voice coming out of one of the flag-draped boxes.

Steven Lait of The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune partly used similar words by showing a book titled "NOW You Tell Us?! A Response to Every Book by Every Ex-Bush Administration Official." The author is "the American people."

Bruce Plante of the Tulsa (Okla.) World shows McClellan saying: "Can you imagine what might have happened to me if I had told the truth sooner?" In the next panel, a veteran who lost a leg in Iraq comments: "Yeah, I've been thinking about that a lot myself."

Signe Wilkinson of The Philadelphia Daily News and the Washington Post Writers Group (WPWG) pictures the "What Happened" author signing books at a table labeled "Scott McClellan: The War I Pimped Was a Mistake." A disabled Iraq War veteran rolling by in a wheelchair comments: "Thanks for letting me know."

Chan Lowe of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Tribune Media Services (TMS) shows a voice coming out of the White House cursing McClellan and saying: "How could anybody get so disgruntled about the way we sold the war?!!?" In the foreground of the drawing are graves at Arlington National Cemetery.

Jeff Darcy of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland shows the "What Happened" book with a bookmark labeled "4,000-plus deaths."

Nick Anderson of the Houston Chronicle and WPWG shows Bush asking McClellan: "Where's your loyalty to the administration?" The former press secretary stands there mute with knives in his back labeled "Rove" and "Libby."

Nate Beeler of The Washington Examiner pictures a distinguished-looking author named "History" writing a chronicle of "The Dubyah Years." Bush describes this author as "just an out-of-the-loop, disgruntled turncoat with a book deal!"

Rob Rogers of the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette and United Media shows Bush looking at a photo of McClellan and saying: "I'm disappointed. This is NOT the obedient mouthpiece for lies and propaganda that I came to know and love."

Rex Babin of The Sacramento Bee and King Features Syndicate pictures Bush in a bubble that deflects a copy of the McClellan book tossed at the president.

Among the artists critical of McClellan was Indianapolis Star/Creators Syndicate cartoonist Gary Varvel, who draws McClellan telling the press "I never said the Iraq War was a mistake" while thinking to himself "until I had a lucrative book deal."

Steve Kelley of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and Creators shows McClellan saying: "During my years as press secretary, I distorted and deceived, equivocated, prevaricated, invented, misrepresented, and fudged for the Bush administration. It's all in my new book." A reporter asks: "Really?" McClellan replies: "Would I lie to you?"

And Dick Locher of TMS pictures a sleeping couple with a copy of "What Happened" on a bedside table. The caption: "Once you put Scott McClellan's book down, it's impossible to pick it up again."