Below is the latest The Pain -- When Will It End?
Updated 4/07/04
Artist's Statement
This is my second lameass cartoon in a row
and I apologize. I've had a complicated couple of weeks. As The Dude says,
there are a lot of different facets and angles going on here. There's levels,
man. You know, ups and down, strikes and gutterballs. On Friday morning I
still had no ideas and just started frantically doodling, and finally came
up with this mean, pinched rendition of George "The Poor Little President
Monkey-Boy" Bush's face, and tried to develop a cartoon outward from
that, with what I would have to call limited success. I am indebeted, not
for the first time, to friend and colleague Megan Kelso for the only part
of this cartoon that is even slightly funny, the last word balloon. It was
she who usefully reminded me of a conversation I had last summer with Jim
Fisher as we were drinking Pabsts in the Adirondack chairs at my house, overlooking
the Bay:
"You know Condoleeza Rice?" he asked me. "The President's advisor?"
He seemed unusually thoughtful and serious.
"Yeah," I said.
"I don't think she's very clean," he said.
"Clean?" I said. "What do you mean, clean? You know
she's black, right?"
"No, no," he said, "I'm not talking about that. I just think
she's dirty."
I still wasn't quite getting this. "You mean, like morally unclean?"
"No, I just think that she spends so much time thinking up the lies that
she doesn't have time to shower every day or do her laundry. I think she's
a dirty lady. I think she's the kind of woman who'll throw on a three-day-old
bra."
This is why, in spite of the trouble it sometimes occasions me, I treasure
my friendship with Jim.
In reality, I am sure, Dr. Rice will obligingly protect her fuckup halfwit
boss and present a solid propaganda front for the administration. And I'm
sure Mister Cheney will carefully coach George through his scheduled hour
of "testimony." More importantly, even if the President just comes
out and admits that he invaded Iraq for no reason other than because Saddam
tried to kill his daddy, or because Mister Cheney told him to--shit, even
if he were videotaped laughing after drunkenly running over a retarded child--his
approval ratings will hold and he'll be re-elected in November. Do not underestimate
the electorate: this is a country of ignorant, bigoted hicks who think George
Bush is one of them. We are all fucked.
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