Sunday, December 28, 2008

Bee cartoonist who said President Bush deserved to have shoes thrown at him denies he hates Bush

I probably wouldn't have opened the Sacramento Bee today if I hadn't seen this comment tipping me off to a piece about Bee cartoonist Rex Babin. Babin penned 4 short paragraphs in the Forum section today, mostly claiming he doesn't hate Bush. Babin says he is just being objective.
"Do you hate President Bush?" readers would also frequently ask. The answer, of course, is no.
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I do disagree, however, with just about every decision ever made by this president. And while his administration has long since become a caricature of itself, which makes drawing editorial cartoons about the Bush gang the equivalent of harvesting low-hanging fruit, my cartoons have always been in response to their policies and their positions on the issues facing the country. In other words, it's nothing personal. Cartoons, after all, are more meaningful when they delve into the heart of issues rather than dwelling on personalities.
Readers of my blog will remember Babin said Bush deserved to have shoes thrown at him. “Bush is responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. What should he expect?" Nice sentiments there.

Not all Bee subscribers buy Babin's claim of objectivity. From a comment on the Bee's web site:
Rex, I'll believe it when I see it (your ability to come out with hard-hitting anti-Obama editorial cartoons that illustrate your differences with his administration). And if and when they occur, I hope that they're as nasty and mean-spirited as the ones you've done against Bush #2...
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Um, sorry, don't see the dichotomy here. Not hating Bush is not the same as saying he deserves to get heckled by the constituency who he's pissed off. Kind of like the Christians who say they don't hate gays but say that they deserve to go to hell.

Anonymous said...

What a crock. Not hating Bush, only hating his "policies and administration" sounds like someone copping out in the easiest way to have his cake and eat it too. Why can't he admit that he DOES hate Pres. Bush? He was elated with the shoe-throwing escapade (and obviously sorry that the shoes didn't hit their mark, thanks to the excellent reflexes of Mr. Bush).

How easily people forget the *real* accomplishment of GW Bush: no attack on the US since 9-11-01, but two outside of it: London and Spain.