The sex scandal involving CIA Director General David Petraeus has provided cartoonists with a golden opportunity to demonstrate their wit and artistry. This cartoon is by John Cole, editorial cartoonist for The Times-Tribune.
THE CARTOON
A homosexual couple are having coffee. One of them is reading about the Petraeus scandal. His partner sighs, "This is what happens when heterosexuals are allowed to serve openly in the military".
EXPLANATION
Until the law was repealed last year, open homosexuality was banned in the US military. The so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy replaced an outright ban on gay people serving in the military in 1993 under the Clinton administration. Under the policy, gay people were permitted to serve as long as they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation, while commanders were not allowed to ask. The irony is that it's the heterosexual Petraeus who has been responsible for one of the biggest sex scandals ever to hit the US military—a fact not lost on the gay man in the cartoon.
NOTE
The Cagle Post has two cartoon collections about the Petraeus affair: Petraeus Resigns and Petraeus Affair. And Mac had a lovely cartoon in yesterday's Dail Mail.
ALSO SEE
• David Petraeus: the downfall of a man and myth (The Telegraph)
• Timeline: Petraeus scandal (BBC News)
• Petraeus scandal: a readers' guide to the clandestine soap opera and its cast (The Guardian)
