Beyond Tasteless: But Who's Offended?

According to a report in The Age, it seems that the January 29 cartoon by Tom Toles at the Washington Post has raised the wrath of the top brass in the US military.

The cartoon, which depicts a limbless US soldier being classified as 'battle hardened' by one Dr. Rumsfeld, has led to an official letter of complaint which describes the cartoon as 'beyond tasteless', and furthermore:

"We 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."

To be sure, making fun of a wounded soldier would, indeed, be beyond tasteless.

But go and look at the cartoon (or reread my synopsis), and see who's the real butt of the joke. The good doctor, methinks.

For the record:

Dave Autry from Disabled American Veterans said he was "certainly not" offended by the cartoon. "It was graphic, no doubt about it," he said. "But it drove home a point."

The point being that:

The cartoon is based on remarks that Mr Rumsfeld made last week. In rejecting warnings that the Iraq war risked "breaking" the army, he said the military was "battle-hardened" and an "enormously capable force".

Making political mileage out that soldier's predicament: now THAT'S beyond tasteless!