Top News

  We asked what you thought of Vanity Fair Magazine's cartoon showing the McCains in a spoof of the New Yorker's cartoon depicting the Obamas. Here are your responses:


I think more people agree with the New Yorker spoof than the media lets on. As for Vanity Fair, McCain is older, yes, but what is with the drugs? And if it is truly about reality, where is the mention of the Hanoi Hilton and their sons that are fighting the war right now? Not flashy enough I guess. --Lisa

I am educated to the point that I understand satire when I see it. I( haven't seen the satire...at all. My take is that there is a person or persons in each of the editorial meetings who wants to sell rags (magazines), no matter who they offend. It's all about the money. Why must there be personal attacks on these people? It appears we have childen in the sandbox trying to show the other that "my dad can beat up your dad?. --Bill Turner

I applaud The New Yorker's 'in your face' depiction of all that is questionable about the Baraks... --Denise Lozeau

I was appalled at the New Yorker cover. I have been hit lately with a barrage of unfounded political e-mails from people who seem to believe everything they read. The New Yorker cover, although purported to be satire, furthers beliefs of this type of person. Many people did not see it as satire (probably not even knowing what satire is) and saw it as one more bit of proof that Obama has Islamic ties and is a African American radical. I nod my head at the "fake" Vanity Fair cover. Although I cannot give them kudos for their effort, since the people who saw the New Yorker cover (due to the massive controversy it stirred) are not as likely to see this "fake" cover... and the "fake" cover is not nearly as inflammatory... merely highlighting many truths... and poking fun at a few political opinions. --Joy Keeling

Typical...no big surprise. Standard mud slinging by tabloids in an election year. Not funny, not enlightening, not even clever; just the cheap, petty and ugly side of journalists; reminds me of moronic 5th graders and their spitballs. And people actually wonder why fewer and fewer people read and pay for print media. --John Carter

I did not think the the New Yorker cover was funny, but I understood the satire of the Vanity Fair cover. By the way, what about the cartoon by Patrick O'Connor in Sunday's NY Times? --Martha M. McCardell

Unfortunately, the media must make a living at other people's expense. You can be sure that if the media went around poking fun at other media editor's "weak moments", those editors would cry foul/stop. But when it's done in the name of politics and the media's first amendment rights, it's supposed to be ok and acceptable. Hey media, try and print something relevant for a change. Something that informs instead of taking an easy jab at someone's differences. We can all see the obvious, why don't you try and tell us something we don't know. Truth is, if some of the media out there didn't print the New Yorker/Vanity Fair type covers, they'd have nothing to print at all. All I beleive that the New Yorker and Vanity Fair covers have done is succeeded in ratcheting print media's reputation down a notch. --Neil Glazer

both tasteless was done just to sell magazines. typical yankee bs --Tony Hayley

Vanity Fair is trying to use the cover controversy to boost it's own sales. Let's see if the same people who were so quick to jump on New Yorker will be consistent & criticize Vanity Fair's cover, or will their hypocrisy become evident. Either cover is protected by the bill of rights. --Alan

Vanity cover fell short as it would have been better spoof to show NY'er editor with heroin needle in his arm, at a child porn theatre, with his 12 year old date, and buying his blow up sheep...now there's an issue I would have bought a couple of extra copies of --Steve

I think it is worse then the New Yorker cover because it is depicting real things about McCain. I am not sure about the burning of the constitution but yes he is old and yes she took drugs. I just dont understand the point of taking a jab at the New Yorker. Their cover was bad enough. Why put your name in the mix only to get a laugh out of the few people who think this is funny? This is in poor taste. --Andrew

I think the Vanity Fair cover is insulting but the New Yorker cover was tastless, racist and insensitive. --M.L. Radcliffe

I really don't understand the uproar. As your piece pointed out, they're both satire. I don't think that Obama should be insulted by the New Yorker cover at all. It's actually doing his work for him by showing how absurd and stupid it is to call him a Muslim extremist and his wife a terrorist when they are no such thing. The cover is actually calling Obama's critics stupid, not Obama or Michelle. As for the McCain cover, good for Vanity Fair for emphasizing how silly this whole "controversy" is! --Kevin

I felt that they wanted to make McCain look bad because Obama aka "the messiah" was shown in a bad light even though it wasn't intented to be that way claims the New Yorker. Very poor taste for Vanity Fair but no surprise as liberal as they are. They don't want Obama's pathetic reputation tarnished. I don't feel it was rivalry at all with the New Yorker and I love how ABC covers their ass like it was about rivalry. People aren't as naive as you think we are. Nice try. --Aaron

I find the Obama cartoon offensive as it portrays ignorance and lies. The McCain cartoon simply depicts the truth and there is always humor in the truth. --Susan Lewis

I was SHOCKED to hear Jay Levine say the Vanity Fair comic was "basically true about John McCain". WHAT? Slamming his wife as a drug addict and BURNING the consitution? What are you smoking Jay? Try to get some fresh air. McCain would take a bullet than let someone burn the constition (oh I forgot, he already DID that...) Get a clue and try not to be so LEFT winged. So disappointing... --Michael Henkel

While I found the New Yorker cover of Obama offensive because it gives those who believe what the media feeds them a reason to fear Obama. The Vanity Fair cover was not far from the truth since McCain is elderly and more than likely uses many medications. Shame on the magazine companies for making money trying to distance themselves from one another, especially since their owned by the same entity. --Theresa

Sooner or later this was going to happen...nothing new or controversial about it, maybe this cartoons are endorsed by the candidates respective campaign headquarters, anyway you look at it, it all sums up to one thing: freedom of the press and democracy. --A. Sergheiev

New Yorker was correct Vanity Fair was mean. --David Washington

Both magazines have stooped to an all time low....business must really be bad and at this rate it's going to get worse ! No wonder the whole world hates us. We've become our own worse enemies.... --Bobby Stout

Sadly, the pictures both reflect the general caliber of mainstream journalists today. The attempt at humor is not funny; the reporting is not objective; the quest for truth is a mission of the past. --Janet Stuffmann

I think the New Yorker cover was brilliant and unexpected. It pointed out in a humorous way the absurd things that people have been claiming about Obama. Vanity Fair's cover missed the point. It wasn't pointing out the absurdities. It wasn't a creative original idea anymore. I say, New Yorker: 1, Vanity Fair: 0. --Matt

I think it is a good representation of America's deepest fears about their presidential candidates! --V. Harper

Standard fare for otherwise largely irrelevant magazines. I'd rather have an old guy who is patriotic but stupid in the White House than a hidden radical, as has been shown not through satirical magazine covers but by the anti-U.S. venom that comes out of his always articulate mouth. --Michael Anderson

Tacky, Classless, Low morals of the people creating these pieces of garbage. Step up to the plate and put the real & hard questions to the candidates. Don't mock the American public as being stupid when you put out these tastless STUPID covers. --Vinee Thompson

I love both covers! I got a good laugh out of both. People need to get off their tight a**es and live a little and need humor in their lives. Most people in this world are too high-strung and and always have a bug up their rears. Laugh a little people!! Both magazines have always been known for their satire, yet everyone is jumpin off the bridge with them. People... RELAX AND LAUGH A LITTLE!! If people meant it, they would put it in People, Time, and the Wall St Journal. But they didn't, so chill! --Chad

What is important is the dialogue that the New Yorker cartoon fostered. It has two features: 1) emphasis that the cartoon spoofs the absurd, slanderous hysteria of those attacking the Obamas and 2) people coming to the defense of Obama. In this regard, the great many people who don't get it or conclude it is "bad judgment" after taking only a superficial view of how it has shaped discussion miss the point - - but also help make the cartoonist's presumed point. By going over the top, right-wing slanders of the Obamas as radicals or worse will be seen as cartoonish - - as they are. Nothing else could have succeeded in this end so fantastically. Assuming the cartoonist supports Obama (as a New Yorker reader, this is a lock) I am sure the cartoonist is happy to be the foil of criticism. Steering and shaping the discourse this well makes it great editorial content. That Vanity Fair (same publisher) decided to drive the same road ratifies that the New Yorker knew what it was doing and is smarter than its critics. --G.J. Myers

If it was supposed to be funny spoofing Obama, then I feel the McCain depiction is fair game. I just wonder if the Republicans finding this so amusing. --Andrea Caldwell

I think that the management of both Vanity Fair and the New Yorker showed disrespect and deceit by allowing these pictures to be published. Judgmental opinions have a way of planting the wrong ideas in people's minds and sometimes ruining the reputation of the persons targeted in these photos. Why would anyone want to do that to another American? Sure we have the freedom to do a lot in this country including the press, but with good judgment. Just because I have the right to disrespect a person by saying something demeaning doesn't mean that I should. Our country has enemies who mock us, isn't that enough or are you trying to join them in the "great laugh?" Now that makes you seem like a traitor to your own people. My God, show some dignity for your own countrymen! --Kimela Gonzalez

Why are we talking about spoof political cartoons. If you are political pro it comes with the territory. Too much time wasted on stupid stuff when gasoline is $4.40 a gallon. --Susan MacCoy

I think those against the drawings should ignore anything and everything about this story. Those who support the drawings, I suppose, have the right to do so. But just because it's a right doesn't mean it's...right. --FS Karlan

The Vanity Fair cover is true satire. By definition the use of non-fictional elements must be used in order for social or political commentary to be seen as a spoof on realism. This is achieved in VF. On the other hand the NY'r cover was not satirical. It only succeeding in perpetuating/myths/lies on the Obamas. --Vivian

What I find truly sad is that the Republicans have made it so difficult for young adults to obtain funding for higher education (by eliminating many fundimental grants and scholarships - but instead choosing to fund unnecssary wars), that we now have a generation of individuals that do not recognize "satire" or furthermore understand with it really means!! --Lena

Well its time people OPEN their eyes McCain is a old sick man, and Obama doesn't have a clue, HILLARY IN 2012, if the UNITED STATES LAST THAT LONG, with either one of them in office. --Mrs. Rogers

Anything that detracts from the serious issues that we are facing as a country is ridiculous!! This is not satire, it is stupidity!! --Dorothy

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Editor's Picks

• Gay Celebrities
• Did You Know? Stars From Chicago!
• Celebs Who Lean To The Right
• Real Or Fake?