Toles, Post Respond To Joint Chiefs Letter

The Post today publishes the “24 star” letter from all six of the Joint Chiefs blasting cartoonist Tom Toles for his cartoon depiction of a wounded soldier with Donald Rumsfeld.

In an interview with Howard Kurtz, Toles called the letter “an understandable response” but said he did not regret what he drew. “In thinking about Rumsfeld’s remarks, he said, ‘what came soon to mind was the catastrophic level of injuries the Army and members of the armed services have sustained . . . I thought my portrayal of it was a fair depiction of the reality of the situation. I certainly never intended it to be in any way a personal attack on, or a derogatory comment on, the service or sacrifice of American soldiers.’”

Toles tells Kurtz, “I think it’s a little bit unfair in their reading of the cartoon to imply that is what it’s about.”

The letter, which was first published yesterday by the Washingtonian, has created quite the stir in the military community because it is so rare for all six Joint Chiefs to sign on to the same letter.

Editorial page editor Fred Hiatt says he does not “censor Tom” and that “a cartoonist works best if he or she doesn’t feel there’s someone breathing over their shoulder. He’s an independent actor, like our columnists.”

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