Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s credibility seems to be full of holes. He’s failed to make significant political progress on reconciling the feuding factions within his government, and he’s losing what little support remains for him. Key U.S. senators are condemning his weak leadership. Even President Bush stopped short of an outright endorsement earlier this week — though, he did say later on that he backs Maliki.
When I came up with this idea, I thought for sure someone else had already done it. I loved the pun, but it seemed like a cartoon Matt Davies could have drawn. My memory is notoriously spotty, so I was relieved when Matt said the idea wasn’t one of his and that he hadn’t seen anyone else do it. My editor, Mark Tapscott, added his own sprinkle of genius by suggesting Bush stick his finger in one of the leaks. I think it helped add another layer to the cartoon, while making it much more visually dynamic.
