But That's What He's Called!

Today's Doonesbury has apparently upset a few newspaper editors (about 10 to 12, according to this AP story). Garry Trudeau makes reference to the nickname W lovingly (and appropriately) bestowed on Karl Rove: Turd Blossom. Some of the papers are replacing the strip with an older one, but others, such as The Providence Journal, did some slight editing. Executive Editor Joel Rawson simply said, "I didn't think (taking out the word) hurt it." No, how could it hurt it? That nickname was only the punchline!

Trudeau isn't happy:

Editors obviously have a responsibility to determine what's appropriate for inclusion in their papers. The syndicate and I accept that from time to time individual editors may object to particular strips and decide to drop them. What's not acceptable to us, however, is for editors to alter the content of a strip and represent it as what I sent them. In most cases, changing the dialogue compromises its meaning or rhythm or humor. Sometimes, the strip no longer even makes sense. Who benefits from that? We'd prefer that an offending strip be dropped altogether.

I'd suggest this is one of those times when, without the offending term, the strip makes no sense. Has anybody seen an edited version?

It's not like the nickname isn't widely known. Rove himself proudly repeated it to Barbara Walters last year when Walters (for whatever reason) named him the most fascinating person of 2004. And you sure can't argue that it doesn't fit him.

Trudeau uses the nickname again tomorrow, so if you don't read Doonesbury regularly anyway, you might check it out again.

[UPDATED to correct misplaced links.]