'flipp'en' Mike Keefe

Mike Keefe’s cartoon (Denver Post 3/11/07) showing former Sec. of State, James Baker, III flipping off the President is beneath contempt and factually wrong. Keefe wants us to believe that Pres. Bush didn’t respect Baker’s Iraq Study Group and that he won’t be taking seriously a similar study on conditions at Walter Reed either.
During his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Baker said a precipitous withdrawal (of U.S. troops) would be “catastrophic” and would undoubtedly lead to a “regional war.” He told Senators, they needed to put aside political bickering, work together to achieve the best plan and then approach the president, adding that ‘if the executive and legislative branches work out a plan in a truly bipartisan manner and all pull on the same oar, you’ll then see the poll numbers (on Iraq) rise.” Baker added that although the Study Group did not include a troop increase among its recommendations; it did outline conditions under which one would be acceptable. He then lent his own support to Bush’s troop surge saying, “The president’s plan ought to be given a chance.”
To which the President responded, "This report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq. It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every proposal seriously and we will act in a timely fashion. ... this report will give us all an opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country.”
Despite the fact that, Baker actually respects Bush and Bush respects the work done by Baker, Mike Keefe disrespects them both and apparently has no respect for the truth either.