Obama 'New Yorker' Cover: Clever or Cowardly?

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the cover by artist Barry Blitt .

See if you can find:

1. Barack Obama dressed in traditional Muslim attire.

2. Michelle Obama depicted as a machine-gun wielding militant.

3. The American flag burning in the fireplace.

4. A portrait of Osama bin Laden over the fireplace mantle.

Anyone the least bit familiar with the New Yorker is going to get the joke. It's calling out the ridiculousness of rumours spread by e-mails and right-wing conspiracy theorists that the Obamas are in the game to wreak havoc on our beloved country by taking the White House in the name of Allah.

But a lot of people aren't familiar with the New Yorker magazine. And to those people this could very well be perpetuating all those scary bedtime stories the ultra-right wing has been feeding its base constituency. If one were so motivated, all he or she would have to do is Photoshop out 'The New Yorker' and play the image sans irony to help spread a message of ingorance and, quite honestly, racism.

This is a fine line for The New Yorker to be walking. Cartoonist Barry Blitt, who created the cover for its accompanying 18-page article on Barack Obama's political career, has defended the cartoon. Blitt told Huffington Post blogger Nico Pitney: "It seemed to me that depicting the concept would show it as the fear-mongering ridiculousness that it is."

The Fallout

Obama camp: "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. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree." -Obama spokesman Bill Burton.

McCain: "I think it's totally inappropriate and frankly, I understand if Senator Obama and his supporters would find it offensive." -Sen. John McCain

The New Yorker just can't get any love on this. And maybe they don't deserve any. Maybe the joke really is as distasteful as everyone says.

If you're still not sure, check out some of artist Barry Blitt's other work .