Home / Section: Controversies
Joint Chiefs send protest letter over Toles cartoon
In a rare act, all six members of the Joint Chief of Staffs have sent a letter or protest to the Washington Post protesting a cartoon by Tom Toles. The offending cartoon can be seen here.
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.”
UPDATE: The Buffalo News has interviewed Tom and has quite a bit more information than the original E&P story.
In an interview, Toles called the letter “an understandable response” but said he did not regret what he drew. In thinking about Rumsfeld’s remarks, he said, “what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation.
“I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers.”
Tools
Related Stories
- Tom Toles fires letter back to Joint Chief
- Nick Anderson on O’Reilly Factor transcript
- Clay Bennett fires back on Joint Chiefs
- Tom Toles appears on Paula Zahn’s show
- Why didn’t Joint Chiefs complain about other dismembered soldier cartoon?
- Tom Toles posts unfinished cartoon for reader feedback
- Tom Toles ‘Toons Ticks off Two Readers
- Hannity and Colmes talk to Rall, Cagle
- Black Ink Monday follow-up
- Detroit papers to stop joint weekend editions
Community Comments
No comments yet.
Join the discussion!
PLEASE NOTE: Please use your first AND last name when posting a comment. Please refrain from swearing. It's one of the rules that I enforce strictly. Thanks.