Satirical New Yorker Cover Shows Obamas as Terrorists in Oval Office
Updated: An upcoming issue of the the New Yorker magazine that shows Barack Obama and his wife as apparent terrorists on its cover is drawing fire not only from the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee but his opponent, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
The cover, which is shown in a Miami Herald article, depicts Barack Obama apparently dressed as a Muslim and his wife, Michelle, sporting an Afro and combat boots, with an assault rifle slung over her shoulder. They are standing in the Oval Office, doing a fist-bump. A portrait of Osama bin Laden is displayed above the fireplace mantel, and the American flag is burning in the fireplace itself.
The magazine says in a written statement that its cover illustration of the two lawyers is intended to “hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful and the absurd,” the newspaper reports. The cover is for the July 21 issue, which hits newsstands today. It includes two articles about Barack Obama, both of which are available online: “Flip-Flop Flap” (commentary) and “Making It,” a lengthy article which discusses Obama’s background in Chicago.
Both Barack Obama and John McCain, however, are not amused.
“The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama’s right-wing critics have tried to create,” Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama’s campaign, tells the Herald. “But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.”
McCain says the cover is “totally inappropriate.”
Additional coverage:
The Politico: “New Yorker Obama Cover Sparks Uproar”
Exploring Race (Chicago Tribune): “Obama, Osama and a magazine drama”
Updated at 2 p.m., to include Chicago Tribune article.
