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:


It wasn't a problem when,Obama and his wife was being abused,now that,McCain is being attacked,it appears to be a problem.Senator Obama has been put thru the ringer,along with going back,and digging up sermons,that was preached during 911,by his pastor the mass media literally crucified,Rev.Dr.Jeremiah Wright,with sound bites.So whats good for the goose is good for the gander.Please let the mass media know this,I have been around almost 70years,the tears that they made,Rev.Wright and the entire,Trinity Unity Church of Christ shed,"GOD'will give all of you your just reward,in a way that you least expect.All the good that,Rev.Wright has done,given his life for mankind regadrless of race.Please for your own good,stop the fooliness,and get,'CHRIST'in your life before its to late.If i was you i would apologize to,Rev.Wright before its to late.'GOD' is looking and booking. --Rose

Enough is enough!!!! If you really want to do powerful political satire then why don't you go after the true culprits of why this country is the laughing stock of the world and that would be our pathetic congress there the real reason why this country is suffering actually I feel bad for both McCain and Obama. --John Kehn

If the New Yorker cover helps prevent the next false and soon-to-be-debunked rumor about Obama then it was a success. Hopefully, the pattern of distractions will now be broken. Then, we can finally begin discussing what policies are being proposed by the candidates, the plausibility of how likely those policies will be implemented and the speculation on the impact of these policies to the citizens, our families, our nation and our world at large. --Alex Rosenheim

CodeNet's somewhat clever yet feable attempt at DAMAGE CONTROL perhaps?....Vanity Fair lets make lemonade compliments of The New Yorker! Or the old good cop/bad cop scenario. Who knows and who cares? Nonetheless, these publications have received too much publicity(money) over this topic. Lets move on so they can get back to earning an honorable buck. --TC

Nearly three hundred years ago in his essay, "A Modest Proposal," Jonathan Swift mocked the ineffectual attempts to eradicate poverty by suggesting that young children be eaten. That essay stood as a testament of the power of satire and its ability to effectively argue for change via irony or ridicule. That the New Yorker's clever cover-- which purports to expose the scare tactics that malign an American patriot--has been literally translated by the public reveals a sad truth: we have lost the ability to comprehend satire and its effectiveness as a tool to expose propaganda and to promote positive change. The New Yorker should not have to underestimate its readership. --Robert Senecal

The New Yorker cover was a spoof? --Richard

I think they are both in VERY POOR TASTE. I am very tired of the total lack of common respect, which I am seeing through all aspects of the news media. The lack of respect for the office of the President of the U.S.A. , no matter who is currently sitting in that office is really offensive. We are trying to teach our children to respect authority, while those in the media show total lack of respect for anyone in authority. --Trish Otterholt

Light up or lite up. I thought it was the radical clerics that had no sense of humor. How I miss Walt Kelly. --Wm. McCauley

I don't particularly care for either. But not because I find them distasteful or inappropriate. They are mere distractions from important issues such as the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, restoring habeas corpus, restoring the constitution, telecom immunity, the deplorable healthcare system, the failing economy, our sick dependence on oil... shall I go on? I'd appreciate the media focusing on things that matter. --Lynn

But there is a difference between one cover making fun of what McCain is, the other on what Obama is not? Obama is not a muslim? according to his book, he is. and I don't recall seeing McCain handicapped, walking with a walker! They are BOTH public figures, It's fair game. Free speech, that is one of the rights our troops have always fought for. When you run for public office or choose to put yourself in the public eye, this is what you open yourself up for. If you don't like or approve, the turn the channel, don't buy it, or don't look at or read it. It's a FREE COUNTRY! --Randy

The New Yorker is clearly a right wing radical rag. I think it's wrong for the media to support either candidate. Just report the facts. Fact: Obama is not Muslim. Fact: His wife is not a terrorist. Fact: John McCain is rather old and tired and a good buddy of the Bush clan. Kinda like Ronnie Reagan. I live in South East Asia and these days more people stop me on the street and ask, "Are you American?" I remember a time when people loved the USA and wanted to be part of it. They say the truth passes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed. Secondly it is opposed violently. And finally it is accepted as being self-evident. I guess we're still at stage one. What happened to cartoons that simply made you laugh? --Ian Barnes

They're both amusing & effective. Satire should be provocative. Sadly, it's over some people's heads. If they don't get it, then they're just not thinking hard enough. --Scott Lynch-Giddings

I appreciate the fact that there are still journalists that are willing to take a risk whether it is with satire OR the truth. It seems that much of journalism these days is controlled and the truth itself is often avoided because it is not what the media moguls,wealthy elites, and govt. want the people to know. Humor and truth is always good for us. Also, let's face it, the constitution burning in the background,would be accurately depicted if put in both photos. --lulu

There is a huge difference between Vanity Fairs cartoon showcasing the obvious: Cindy did abuse drugs and John is really old & they want to turn the US into Nazi Germany (with us as slaves to a dictator) & spinning for the RNC so people are running scared of political "boogy-man" whose been depicted wrongly yet again. --Alana

I view it as a consistent pattern of disparity by a society haunted by its racist past. --Global Warning

Love it! Bring it on...isn't the first-won't be the last! The fact that they are both put out there by the same company adds to the fun and the "drama". 75% of the people in the USA will NOT "get it" and 90% will not know that both publications are run by the same company. --The Foodlady

The Vanity Fair cover just wanted to jab the Obama people because of their own political agenda. Yes McCain is old but people do not read about anyone anymore, he has fought for reform and change a lot in the past. When Obama ran for president I thought it was a joke, he has no experience. I think the New Yorker was funny, Obama IS a sympathizer for the Muslim terrorists. He claims to be a communist in his autobiography. His wife claimed to not be proud to be an American till Obama ran for president. I don't people like that head of my country. I think someone had to come out and say some of the ugly truths about Obama. No one wants to see or hear about it because he is the first black presidental nominee. People are looking at race way too much in this election and not focusing on the issues. --Angela Solomon

Vanity Fair's cover is funny more cartoonish. The New Yorker cover was tasteless and racist. That was certainly not funny. Whomever came up with that idea should have been fired. --Howrad M.

Way to go Vanity Fair, hey whats good for the goose is good for the gander. --Suzanne Ebert

I think your report hit the nail on the head - the New Yorker cover "mocks" what Obama isn't, and the Vanity Fair cover "mocks" what McCain is. Regardless, neither is funny, whether an explanation about them is necessary or not. Thus far, both magazines have lost this reader's interest. If the publisher possibly also owns Mad Magazine, the should put their "satire" there. No, on second thought, I doubt that kids would find it funny. --Scott

Our family won't be purchasing either of these maganzines in the future. Things are getting heated and this "satire" isn't funny. --Bob Skiles

The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and the print media is pushing the cart. --Diana Savastano

I did do not like either one but I'm glad Vanity Fair evened the score! --Jon Appel

Loved the Vanity Fair spoof --jsbfla

The New Yorker's satire was wonderful. People worried it was sending the wrong message -- anyone red-neck and ignorant enough to take it seriously and who couldn't understand satire would never have seen the cover if both campaigns had not made an issue of it. Of course, we know why McCain's campaign made an issue of it, but why did Obama's? VF's is cute, but come on, the NY should get all the credit for original satire. --Sandy Clabaugh

I'm irritated that some believe Obama's cover is more appalling than McCain's. I think both covers are equally as bad. Vanity Fair's depiction indicates to me that Cindy is a drug addict. Does VF know that for a fact? Is it documented? However, we do know that Barack comes from a Muslim background. The real satire here is the media took notice of their lack of McCain coverage and remembered their duty to present unbiased news to the fact-starved public. Bravo media -- I'm much more informed on the candidates, NOT! Thanks for nothing.... --D. Masters

I think that Vanity Fair and New Yorker should share the prize in the Bad Taste category. --Bob Morton

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 think it was a smart move. At least it comes across as satire vis a vis the New Yorker cover. However, it is not nearly as offensive as the the New Yorker cover. We all know McCain is old, but Barack Obama is definitely NOT Muslim, his wife is not a AK-47 totting, fist-bumping 60's radical, and they do NOT idolize Osama Bin Laden. --Scott Fodje

All is fair in politics. The subtle difference (subtle at least to most Americans apparently) is that New Yorker was spoofing all the fearful subrosa propaganda being foisted aganst that candidate. The Vanity Fair cover, however, was spoofing apparent realities of McCain (his age, his wife's drug problem, disregard for the constitution that seems fundamental to modern Republicanism)... The public is so numbed and dumbed down, however, that they just don't get it. But this is not surprising. Numb and dumb is a serious problem! --Bert Lee

(© 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?