Joint Chiefs Send Rare Protest Letter to 'Wash Post' Over 'Reprehensible' Toles Cartoon

Editor & Publisher ^ | February 1, 2006 | Joe Strupp, Dave Astor and Greg Mitchell

[RWR8189]

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, not yet published by the Post, 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 first reported on the popular AmericaBlog site, which is run by John Aravosis, this afternoon.

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 quadriplegic, 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."

 

[OKIEDOC]

Rogers runs BlogActive.com and RawStoryQ.com. He's a 41-year-old D.C.-area blogger whose controversial outing campaign has exposed more than 20 gays who work for conservative causes and politicians.

REPLY:

Yep, he should really be proud of its-self.

Sounds like a genuine creep to me.

Maybe some of those so called queer friends of his will take him out in the alley and give him a Colombian neck tie.

[OKIEDOC]

Excellent post.

[Prost1]

When the next group of circulation numbers come out no one should be surprised if the Washington Post's numbers are not on the upswing...

I canceled my newspaper subscription years ago because of the one-side nature of Yost's editorial content and reporting. But, now the company is up for sale, they still have not figured it out.

[kenavi]

"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."

What an a-hole.

Of course, Clinton wanted body armor for every soldier. And made sure that our soldiers had the armored vehicles they asked for in Somalia.

And where's Saddam, er I mean Where's Bin Laden?

[Swiss]

**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."**

I wonder how Aravosis would feel if someone said the following about him.

"Now that Aravosis have addressed the insidious threat about the joint chiefs protesting a cartoon, perhaps he can move on to less pressing issues like getting his damn gay friends from giving each other AIDS."

[Valin]

Couldn't agree more. I'd dearly love to have a little....chat with Mr. Toles. Just the 3 of us him, myself & my friend Mr Club.

[nopardons]

bttt

[Valin]

I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon. The troops are being done wrong by their civilian leaders

How? Site your sources.

[grey_whiskers]

Aravosis and Rogers share similar goals with traditional activists. But to witness how powerful their tactics are, merely mention their names in D.C.-area gay bars and watch the closeted conservatives scatter.

Umm, both of them?

Proposed Title for a future smash hit in Country Music:

I'm a Gay Black Mormon Biker -- and I vote Republican!

Cheers!

[grey_whiskers]

This vile cartoonist Toles is lower than whale excrement in the bottom of the Marianas Trench. He's not fit to shovel Bill Mauldin's privy -- from the INside.

With his tongue, yet...

My all-time favorite Mauldin cartoon (althought the calvaryman with the jeep is close):

"I'll let ya know if I find th' one wot invented th' 88."

Cheers!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[MEG33]

I don't see you on the threads honoring our troops.

[opocno]

Part of the reason we have survivors with such grievous wounds is that they have body armor. They are surviving explosions and other assaults that they might not have survived in previous conflicts.

Body armor has limited effectiveness for extremities.

Besides being a left-wing weenie, Aravosis is also uninformed. Of course, that never stops the Dems from offering opinions, does it?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[MEG33]

"Is it possible that what bothers them isn't the depiction of the soldier, but the sharpness of the criticism of the Pentagon civilians?"

No

[gakrak]

I agree or maybe a Navy Seal. He might have to comment then in a face to face with someone who protects his right to be a scumbag. Amen.

[Palpatine]

did you ever hold Clinton to account over the illegal possession of FBI files, using the IRS to audit 'enemies', doing nothing over Rwanda, doing nothing over WTC 1993, selling national security secrets for campaign cash or the echelon spying programme?

[Palpatine]

My opinion on this

1.he has the right to draw his cartoon

2.we have the right to cancel our subscriptions (those of us who actually had them in the first place...)

3.the cartoon is despicable, but freedom of speech is a 2 way street, all liberals and some of us need to realize that.

[SE Mom]

and I'm shocked at the unanimity with which you all don't get this cartoon.

---

Where to begin...

You're shocked by our collective dim-wittedness? By our inability to grasp the clever and creative way Toles supports the troops?

Listen up lib- here's the deal- we GET IT. We completely GET this cartoon. THAT is why we are furious.

I suggest it is YOU who don't "get it". You don't get it, because you cannot SEE clearly- your vision is clouded with intellectual theories unrelated to reality. The fundamental problem with the liberal mindset is that it's incapable of reaching a conclusion. It's thought process gets derailed by it's emotions and wanders off to a tree-shaded quad on Any Campus USA where it sits and congratulates itself on it's cleverness.

You sir, are mistaken. We most assuredly GET IT.

[Old Student]

Your "opinion" is incorrect.......

You know what is said about opinions, right? They're like rectums. Everyone has one, and most of them stink. I am continually amazed that people who think cartoons like this one are a good idea are still breathing. That low a number of functional neurons ought to be fatal. If they have their way, it certainly will be, too.