In Contempt: Cartoon Delayed Until This Afternoon

I finished the durn thing, but ran out of time and steam before I could post it. I thought, "Oh, I'll just post it after I put Owen to bed." Then, as I laid there with him waiting for him to drop off, I dropped off myself. These things happen.

When I get home from work I can do it then. Until then, please tell me what these two political cartoons on President Bush's state of the union address are trying to say. Why did both Bok and Higgins portray Speaker of the House Pelosi surrounded by children? Yes, I know, she did that herself when she took the speaker's gavel last year. But is that the most relevant way to characterize her in this context? I thought Higgins' portrayal of Cheney behind the bars and stripes was clever, and worthy of a cartoon unto itself. But how does it work in this context? These cartoons are examples of what I consider ersatz caricature. They have no central joke, so the cartoonist is throwing whatever desperate gag he/she can think of at the canvas and hoping it gets a laugh.