Tis the Season to be Jolly – The Humorous Bush Legacy

My apologies to Cartoonist Jeff Danziger, who I contacted about a year ago asking copyright permission to use his cartoons to lighten up a bit on the Bush Legacy, the bipartisan War on Terror and lack of American National Commitment to it.

Sorry, Jeff for taking so long to begin using your insightful artwork. I plan, let me repeat, I plan on taking the first day of each month beginning in December 2008 to highlight Danziger Cartoons that express sentiments toward political humor of the previous months.

Robert L. Hanafin
Major, U.S. Air Force-Retired
Staff Writer, VT

Have a Great VT Day

Posted cartoons have copyright permission from the originator Jeff Danziger, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the VT Staff and Management. Any use or re-posting of the cartoons requires the express permission of Mr. Danziger. Those used in my features must also have my permission to avoid copyright violations.

A little background on Jeff Danziger is of course appropriate for our readers or what incentive is there to even look at his artwork let alone what his message is. I learned that Jeff is a Vietnam Veteran, a mustang officer like me who did not return to the Armed Forces after Vietnam, but went on a more successful career as a Political Cartoonist.

His work came to my attention for he contributes cartoons to the Vietnam Veterans Against the War Newspaper, the Veteran (not to be confused with the VVA Veteran a more upscale VSO newspaper).

Jeff is an accomplished artist with the New York Times Syndicated media, and I promised to hack his two books stock full of cartoons poking fun at our government and just how comical it’s incompetence and hypocrisy really is.

Seriously, when folks begin getting intensely emotional about politics, and who does the fighting and dying, maybe there are times we need to lighten up with a sense of humor.

Let me tell you, and ask anyone coping with and surviving PTSD, those with a half decent sense of humor or least likely to commit suicide. We tend not to take the world, especially the nation and people we served, well too serious.

When you don’t take your nation, it’s people, our government too serious, there is a tendency not to blame yourself for what one has seen and done in war but focus it where it really belongs – on those who sent us. Mind you I’m only making a point that if those with PTSD focused all the blame for it on themselves instead of where it belongs, a lot of Veterans would be alive today – PERIOD.

A fitting end of the Bush Regime, and timely for the Obama transition are Jeff’s two books Blood, Debt & Fears: Cartoons of the First Half and Last Half of the Bush Administration. It covers just about every issue of the Bush Wreckage.

Speaking of which, is his other book, Wreckage Begins With “W” both can be found at the Source URL below my article. Once the Obama Administration takes office, I will no longer focus on any material from this has been period unless it relates to mistakes being made by the Obama Administration.

The cartoons I post below are more related to the 2008 election and transition or hand off period when the in-coming President is stuck with the Wreckage. Most but not all were published by Jeff during November 2008. Any from earlier years are only to make a POINT. Readers have to guess the point being made.

Obama wins the Presidential election or did he? 11/03/08 (Day before Election Results)

In the name of Bipartisan Unity, Dems grant Republicrat Turkey Lieberman a reprieve as Thanksgiving for supporting John McCain. 11/23/08

Bail Out everybody but OUR TROOPS 11/10/08

Passing the Torch from the Bush Legacy to Obama Inheritance or Thank God I lost the election by John McCain. 11/13/08 – the transition team.

CHANGE means sending troops from Iraq to Afghanistan the Sequel, and hopefully blaming career politicians for anything that goes wrong and NOT our troops.

Bush in the Kush (02/16/07) still applies to Obama in the Kush (02/16/17) the closing lines say it all, “And then what? The Whole World Will be Watching. And they’ll forget about stupid Iraq for a while…Wow, You Really Know How to CHANGE the Subject.”

CHANGE hopefully means that Cartoons like this one slamming my Air Force will no longer be necessary or possible since Afghanistan will become primarily a ground quaqmire as Iraq is today. I also pray that CHANGE means blaming our career politicians in Washington and at the Pentagon for bombing of innocent civilians NOT those ordered to carry out the bombing. Those dreaming of an American with no Navy or Air Force are well DREAMING, and there is no such thing as a precision targeting bomb when it comes to blanket bombing of areas where the innocent and bad guys intermingle.

Keep in mind that if the Mustang Major (that’s me) post the toon, the Major shares Jeff’s sentiment. Well there are a few exceptions like the one slaming the U.S. Air Force for living up to the ole Strategic Air Command moto – “PEACE is Our Profession.” That is but my humble opinion and constructive criticism, and not intended to CHANGE the way Jeff Danziger sees the world. Far be it for me.

I but caution that it is much too easy for the right wing (and left wing) media and even Indy media to shift blame from career politicians to career military men and women, or should I say the All Volunteer Force. I can only request that Jeff consider a cartoon that reflects just how easy that shift can be and submit it to Air Force, Army, Marine, and Navy Times as reminders to our troops how quick our civilian leaders, American people, and those who once Supported the Troops can turn on them for political, or moral simplicity and convencience.

I take issue with Jeff blaming the Air Force when our “civilian government” orders blanket bombing of any urban areas by B-52s (among other bombers) with cluster bombs, come on now a few innocent civilians are going to get killed. That’s why they (the bipartisans) call it a War on Terror. Lord only knows how many Talaban were among the women and children. However, Jeff does make a point about bombing of innocent civilians, I just take issue with where to place the blame.

POINT: Jeff, please do not blame our military folks for doing their jobs regardless the moral or immoral implications, place the blame where is really belongs, those incompetent civilians who order our Air Force to bomb innocent civilians. But, that’s just my opinion, but I’m concerned that it is too easy to shift blame for the Bush Legacy, the Iraq Quaqmire, and Afghanistan the Sequeal on OUR TROOPS.

I’m all for counter- (as in honest and balanced) military recruitment, but Jeff someone has to do the dirty work of getting blood on our hands so that career politicians can get out of the DRAFT free, or not bloody their hands so they think. Cartoons like that one only serve to reinforce this shift in blame from where it belongs Career Politicians and their ignorant supporters of Our Troops.

Unless you seriously believe America can survive without an Armed Forces, that is not only a very unrealistic idea, it is about as dumb as escalating the War on Terror with Afghanistan the Sequel. Lastly, the War on Terror will shortly no longer be the Bush War, it will be the Obama War with the same ole lack of national commitment and shared sacrifice. If anyone thinks that changing political parties will gain national commitment on any war, think again! That is about as realistic as implementing the draft would be.

Our All Volunteer Army, Air Force, Marines, and Navy (well Coast Guard too) is but one of many instruments of our civilian government – the Congress, the Bush Administration, and of course the in-coming Obama Administration. Our All Volunteer Force is controlled , monitored, and led by career civil service and civilian politicians most of which have never worn a uniform. In a nutshell, what makes our American Armed Forces so different from most every military around the globe is that WE are civilian controlled. If you don’t believe that just look what happened to General Douglas McArthur when he forgot that fact with Harry Truman.

Robert L. Hanafin

Readers are more than welcome to use the articles I’ve posted on Veterans Today, I’ve had to take a break from VT as Veterans Issues and Peace Activism Editor and staff writer due to personal medical reasons in our military family that take away too much time needed to properly express future stories or respond to readers in a timely manner.

My association with VT since its founding in 2004 has been a very rewarding experience for me.

Retired from both the Air Force and Civil Service. Went in the regular Army at 17 during Vietnam (1968), stayed in the Army Reserve to complete my eight year commitment in 1976. Served in Air Defense Artillery, and a Mechanized Infantry Division (4MID) at Fort Carson, Co. Used the GI Bill to go to college, worked full time at the VA, and non-scholarship Air Force 2-Year ROTC program for prior service military. Commissioned in the Air Force in 1977. Served as a Military Intelligence Officer from 1977 to 1994. Upon retirement I entered retail drugstore management training with Safeway Drugs Stores in California. Retail Sales Management was not my cup of tea, so I applied my former U.S. Civil Service status with the VA to get my foot in the door at the Justice Department, and later Department of the Navy retiring with disability from the Civil Service in 2000.

I’ve been with Veterans Today since the site originated. I’m now on the Editorial Board. I was also on the Editorial Board of Our Troops News Ladder another progressive leaning Veterans and Military Family news clearing house.

I remain married for over 45 years. I am both a Vietnam Era and Gulf War Veteran. I served on Okinawa and Fort Carson, Colorado during Vietnam and in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General at Norton AFB, CA during Desert Storm. I retired from the Air Force in 1994 having worked on the Air Staff and Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon.