Dog stars

The dog days of summer are sometimes dry as a bone for the pundit biz. Not lately. The recent YouTube debate, the slumping housing outlook and volatile stock market have given us plenty to gnaw on. Throw in Harry Reid and the House Democrats, Harry Potter and the house elves, Iraq, Iran, pedophile priests, presidential polyps and a roster of sports scandals -- and the ink really started to flow. Pat Oliphant published his own brand of yellow-dog journalism, Dwane Powell unleashed his contempt on lap dog Alberto Gonzales, and Jack Ohman sank his teeth into a quarterback who ought to be permanently sacked.

Dogs are great. I have three. But a cartoonist’s best friend is still a good punch line on deadline.

-- Joel Pett