July 02, 2009…  Anyone take offense of this morning’s Plain Dealer editorial cartoon? I did.

It shows some “birds” perched on a branch – possible enlarged parrots but with that vulture look.

President Barack Obama is one of them.

It puts President Obama in communion with Castro, Chavez and Ortega. The three have a communist emblem emblazoned on their chests. Hint. Hint. Obama doesn’t. But the implication is there. Very clever.

They are all singing, “AAWWWWCK! RESTORE THE DICTATOR IN HONDURAS.”

If you haven’t guessed by now, it’s the work of Kevin O’Brien, second in command of the PD’s editorial pages. What a shame. O’Brien, I mean.

Now you see what havoc “furloughs” mean to the newspaper.

O’Brien’s boss, Betsy Sullivan, is furloughed for the week.

When the cat’s away the mice must play.

So we get a right-wing, though Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist, Michael Ramirez, and his zest for attacking Democrats.

“On one level, ya gotta admire how Michael Ramirez goes for broke with his smears,” says the website “Blue Herald – Right-Wing Cartoon Watch.”

Just O’Brien’s kinda guy.

It also notes that “…Ramirez just likes to ridicule Dems. When and if (Leon) Panetta starts posting semi-nude photos of himself from Langley, Ramirez might have a point…” it says of another Ramirez cartoon. Unfortunately, the addressed cartoon didn’t come over on the site: http://blueherald.com/2008/09/right-wing-cartoon-watch-32-72108-%E2%80%93-92508/

Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s editorial cartoon.