Best Reason for the 'Statesman'
Ben Sargent
Although we cheerfully pound on the daily when deserving, few of us face the morning without consulting the Sargent-at-Pen: Ben Sargent's irreplaceable editorial cartoon. Sargent's rapier wit and his liquid, elegant line take on eclectic targets: Chinese toys, City Hall, of course Congress and the Lege. Fearless? Even the UT football program gets gored occasionally, with "bail bonds" available alongside snacks at Royal Memorial. In recent months, unsurprisingly, he's saved his most acidic ink for the Bush Administration Follies – self-destruction at the Department of Justice, the Family Values Hypocrisy Caucus, and, of course, Bush's crowning folly, the madness in Iraq. Our current favorite (Sunday, Aug. 26) is a one-legged veteran's response to Dubya's declaration, "I could've WON in Vietnam!! Says the vet bitterly, "You would've had to SHOW UP first." Sargent Ben shows up, arms at the ready, every single day.
