"The Obama quandry" or "Can you draw this pirate ('cause I can)?"

During these times of economic duress and massive layoffs, it seems political cartoonists may be looking for sketching jobs on the Venice boardwalk sometime soon.

Not really, but they're getting an earful from those who feel caricatures of our president are bordering on racist, according to a recent Associated Press article.

This, on the heals of the New York Post's monkey cartoon last week. Political cartoons have been around for hundreds of years (Thomas Nast, Harper's Weekly), and consist of two elements: 1) caricature, 2) a poke fun aspect.

Why certain people - Reverend Sharpton, for one, (does he really ever effect change when he sticks his nose into anything?) - think that President Obama should be exempt from being ridiculed in political cartoons is beyond me. Because he's black? I'm not saying that every cartoonist should have carte blanche when it pertains to characterizing Obama eating watermelon and chicken (two common stereotypes associated with blacks, though I enjoy both those foods...so, am I black?). "Race" in a cartoon is difficult to NOT illustrate. Racial stereotypes are another thing. I'm simply saying that as President, Obama will be poked fun at in political cartoons as his predecessors have and THAT should be the least of his concerns.

Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton and Bush Jr. Among past presidents who've had their ears tweaked, their lips colagenized and their noses made bulbous. Get used to it, President Obama - or I should say, those people who have nothing else to bitch about should get used to it.

Oh yeh - my pirate is below. Took 3 minutes. I wonder if I'll be targeted by SWAB - Swashbuckers with Animosity towards Berators?