Man I love The Onion: Onion bites back at White House

[T Roosevelt]

Read all the way to the end for the best response letter ever...

Doug Moe: Onion bites back at White House

By Doug Moe
October 25, 2005

A lifelong resident of Madison, Doug Moe has written a daily column about the city for The Capital Times since 1997. Prior to that, he was editor of Madison Magazine. His books include "The World of Mike Royko," which was a Chicago Tribune Choice Selection of the Year, and "Uncommon Sense: The Life of Marshall Erdman," written with Alice D'Alessio. His new book, "Lords of the Ring: The Triumph and Tragedy of College Boxing's Greatest Team," a history of the storied varsity program at the University of Wisconsin, published in 2004.

BROADWAY LEGEND George S. Kaufman once famously observed that "satire is what closes on Saturday night," meaning that not enough people "get" satire.

Of course, Kaufman, who died in 1961, never read The Onion, the satiric humor weekly that started on half a shoestring in Madison in 1988 and now boasts 5 million readers a week - 2 million for the print edition, and 3 million online.

A lot of people apparently get The Onion, but that does not necessarily include lawyers in the George W. Bush White House.

The White House recently sent The Onion a scolding letter concerning its use of the Presidential Seal on the paper's Web site.

The Onion, following Jimmy Breslin's dictum that there is no slight so small it can't be turned into a lifelong feud and milked dry in the service of publicity, has gleefully fired back.

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[jasmeel]

1. That's some good stuff!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Lol

Using the money to send Miers to "Judge school" :rofl:

[motocicleta]

3. Trust the Onion

to give the WH good advice on how to spend extra money.

I can't decide whether to laugh or cry.

Bush has gotten me so bitter I spend more time re-reading old GYWO strips than waiting for Tuesday evening when the new Onion comes out.
http://www.mnftiu.cc/mnftiu.cc/war.html

[donco6]

4. Things to do with money spent on lawyers:

3. It has recently become obvious that there is need for some sort of federal organization to administer the management of emergencies - a hypothetical 'Federal Emergency Management Administration,' if you will. You could spend the money on that.

4. Harriet Miers could really use a scholarship to some kind of rudimentary judge school.

:rofl:

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. LOVE it!

[silverweb]

6. Love it!

:7

[applegrove]

7. I hope they pointed out that the Pres keeps handing out things that

resemble the Medal of Freedom to people who have failed miserably in their jobs.

[noahmijo]

8. Pissing off the Onion is probably second only to pissing off Howard Stern

The Onion has MILLIONS of fans and they will no doubt side with them against the * White House.

Not to mention the brutal assault The Onion will launch on them on a PR level.

Brace yourselves bushies: You've just grabbed a bull by the horns.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. From the WH letter to the Onion:

"It has come to my attention that The Onion is using the Presidential Seal on its Web site."

It has come to my attention that * is using the Presidential Seal on his Web site too. I find that far more offensive.

[Jacobin]

10. these dweebs in the WH are utterly clueless

I mean, who in the hell would pick a fight with The Onion.

I can't wait to read future issues. The heat will be cranked up white hot