This current New Yorker magazine cover has produced criticism in some quarters for perpetuating rumors and falsehoods about Barack and Michelle Obama. Both the Obama and McCain campaigns have condemned it. Editor David Remnick defends the decision: "It is clearly a joke, a parody of these crazy fears and rumors of scare tactics about Obama's past and ideology. And if you can't tell it's a joke by the flag burning in the Oval Office, I don't know what more to say." Employing satire to make a point is often a dicey proposition at best, and that is especially the case with a significant number of Americans already predisposed to believe all the lies about Obama bandied about primarily over the internet. For this group of literal-minded numbnuts, the cover only serves to reinforce their prejudices and preconceived ideas.
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