Dropping The Pilot

Steve Bell is a political cartoonist par excellence. And although his style is often "in-yer-face", he can also be quite subtle. For example, when I saw this cartoon, about Bush getting rid of Rumsfeld, I thought it was quite good, but not one of his best.

 

It turns out that it was my problem for not catching what was, in fact, a clever, and aposite, reference. What Bell has done is update a very famous political cartoon done in 1890 by Sir John Tenniel. "Dropping the pilot" illustrated the forced resignation of Bismarck by Kaiser Wilhelm. I love the fact (now) that Bell’s version shows that the whole ship has sunk, and that Kaiser Wilhelm’s crown has been replaced by a bird sitting on the Bushchimp (is it an albatross?).

 

It’s not the first time that Tenniel’s cartoon has been used in this way. There’s apparently a long tradition of political cartoons based on it. Just goes to show that you’re never too old to learn.