Cartoon contrariness

Regarding the persistent, polarized, stubborn and bleak cycle of violence in the Middle East, cartoonists are … persistent, polarized, stubborn and bleak. And like the region’s political players, we’ll observe the same situation for years and draw diametrically opposite conclusions. Check out Nick Anderson and Gary Varvel. Each took the same set of incendiary circumstances, set similar Oval Office scenes, cast a downcast President Bush in the lead role and employed nearly identical cartoon props. Scrutinizing the same big picture, they scribbled contradictory small pictures. At least they’re only armed with pens. We’d hate for cartoonists to contribute to Signe Wilkinson’s rubble repository.

— Joel Pett