Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

The Wall Street Journal’s comics page

When I was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal (for 17 years), the joke on the news side was that the paper didn’t need comic strips because the editorial page doubled as our funnies page. I think in the last few days that jibe has come true. First Karl Rove accused President Obama of ...

When I was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal (for 17 years), the joke on the news side was that the paper didn't need comic strips because the editorial page doubled as our funnies page. I think in the last few days that jibe has come true. First Karl Rove accused President Obama of politicizing the White House, and then John Yoo instructed Obama on how to handle detainees. Next up, Lindy England on how to run a prison? The CIA station chief from Algiers on women's rights? I think we've jumped through the looking glass here.

When I was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal (for 17 years), the joke on the news side was that the paper didn’t need comic strips because the editorial page doubled as our funnies page. I think in the last few days that jibe has come true. First Karl Rove accused President Obama of politicizing the White House, and then John Yoo instructed Obama on how to handle detainees. Next up, Lindy England on how to run a prison? The CIA station chief from Algiers on women’s rights? I think we’ve jumped through the looking glass here.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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