This cartoon by Morten Morland from The Times combines two US news stories: the US government shutdown and the the capture of a Libyan terror suspect in a raid by US special forces.
COMMENTARY
President Obama is shown on the phone. In the first two panels, he seems to be justifying the raid — possibly to the Libyan government. But there's a twist in the third panel. In fact, it turns out that Obama is asking the Libyan government to 'take out the Tea Party' — a request which the speaker on the other end of the phone turns down.
EXPLANATION
President Obama has blamed Tea Party extremists for the government shutdown, which is why he wants someone to take them out.
VOCABULARY
In military parlance, 'take out' is a euphemism for 'kill'. • The special team that took out Bin Laden was brought in using helicopters.
