Those People Need a Puppy

"What Those People Need Is a Puppy!" is the thirteen collection of editorial cartoons from the poisoned pen of Pat Oliphant. These 172 cartoons represent his output from July 29, 1988 to July 10, 1989, which means we are dealing with George Bush winning the Presidential election and taking office. You can also look at it as the end of the Reagan years, so there is definitely a sense of transition here. Oliphant shows why he is the most widely syndicated political cartoonist in the world doing a job akin to hurling dead cates into sanctuaries. Because these are chronologically arranged it is fascinating to see what catches Oliphant's attention. He is having dealing with gawky George Bush beating up on little Michael Dukakis, but then Bush pick Dan Quayle as his running mate and the cartoonist cannot stop writing and drawing about "Little Danforth" and imaging him someday in the White House. But the election does tend to get important and Oliphant pillories both of the candidates (in one memorable and brutal cartoon Bush and Dukakis are at the foot of the cross gambling over the clothes of Uncle Sam). Once Bush was in office it was the traditional parade of scandals that make up contemporary American politics. Whether his target is Mikhail Gorbachev's glasnost policy, Oliver North's trial, or the fun with oil with OPEC and Exxon. You might have trouble remembering some of the events from this period, but the issues, from environmental problems to gun control to flag burning, are all going to be familiar. Amazing how little things have changed in so many ways since these fun times. As always, looking through these pages is a fascinating little walk down memory lane. Whatever happened to "Little Danforth"?