The Cover

So the New Yorker printed a cover of Barack Obama, and it was a stupid one. There's been a huge uproar about it, and for various reasons. Here's one take from Obama's staff:

The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.

I guess I'm not most readers. I don't see this as tasteless or offensive. I see it as stupid. But seriously--I'm as avid a supporter of Obama as there is, but this really isn't a comment on anything but the good sense of the New Yorker.

Here's the likely reaction of the Obama supporter: The New Yorker is being mean! I'll stop reading it.

And the McCain Supporter: I knew he was a Mohammedan! To war!

And the Clinton supporter: Okay, we used some slimy tactics. Why didn't ours get in the New Yorker?

I suppose there are people stupid enough to accept the cover for what it says, but let's face it: they were either conservative or New Yorker employees to begin with. Not exactly Mensa material here.