Joint Chiefs of Staff protest cartoon.

[buttmunch]

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, written on Tuesday, 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 reported on the popular AmericaBlog site, which is run by John Aravosis, this morning.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 quadruple amputee, 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."

editorandpublisher-com

I am totally loving that last comment. By the way, I can't find a copy of this so if anyone can, please post.

[ourmaninBusan]

Here it is (mods, shrink if you see fit)



from a story in Washpo

And for the record, I think this is to mock Rumsfeld's indifference
to the laments of troops; when one soldier asked Rummy why they
didn't have thicker armor on their troop vehicles -- because too
many Iraqi bullets were slicing through US armored vehicles --
Rummy replied: "You go to war with the army you have,
not the army you wish you had." He is not making light
of the fact that soldiers are going to come back from this war
as invalids -- he is violating the press's self-imposed patriotic
censorship of tasteless photos, flag-draped coffins and little girls
whose parents have just been mistakenly shot to death by
soldiers guarding a checkpoint...(Graphic pic)

[buttmunch]

Well, said, ourman. Satirical political cartoons are there for a purpose: to expose the hypocrisy of those in power. This whole thing, once again, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The Joint Cheifs of Staff should worry about more improtant things. I again quote:

"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."