General Petraeus’ “State of the Surge” report isn’t due for at least a few more days, but already politicians are in full spin cycle based on what they think he’ll say. Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers (to say nothing of Iraqi civilians) continue to be killed and wounded at an alarming rate. This situation was the impetus for this week’s toon, “The Surge Marches On …” (color version), below, the third in my series of Surge-related toons using the silhouette of the iconic toy soldier. (I’ve also posted the previous two in the series, “Leaving Troops in Harm’s Way” (color version) and “This Surge” (color version).

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “The Surge Marches On …” (color version) [Archive No. 0728b]

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Leaving Troops in Harm’s Way” (color version) [Archive No. 0717b]

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “This Surge” (color version) [Archive No. 0709b]

Check out this week’s toon, “Brainless: Life After Rove.”

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Brainless: Life After Rove” [Archive No. 0727]

My latest cartoon, “Mortality Test,” below, was prompted by a recent story about the U.S. falling to 42nd in the world in international rankings for life expectancy. In the Associated Press article, Dr. Christopher Murray, head of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, points out: “Something’s wrong here when one of the richest countries in the world, the one that spends the most on health care, is not able to keep up with other countries.”

Indeed.

The article goes on to point out several reasons for our country’s relatively poor performance. Two of the biggest? Our lack of universal health care (45 million Americans lack health insurance) and the obesity epidemic (nearly one third of American adults are clinically obese, and about two-thirds are overweight).

A quick look at the Center for Disease Control’s mortality data (their most current information is for 2004) shows the toll our collective girth is taking: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for Americans. Diabetes is our No. 6 killer, and high blood pressure is No. 13. Obesity is a common factor for all three.

Americans’ battle with the bulge isn’t just about statistics. It’s a personal struggle for many of us, myself included. I’ve been overweight all of my life — actually obese, I hate to say. And heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure all run in my family. So earlier this year I decided to make some simple lifestyle changes: cut down on sweets, no more late-night snacks and more walks with Maxwell, the family dog. So far I’ve dropped 21 pounds. That’s just a drop in the bucket, really. And it was a hell of a lot more fun putting on than taking off. But it’s a start. Keep it up and I might just be cartooning to a ripe old age.

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Mortality Test” [Archive No. 0726]

Editor’s note: This post adapted from my Weekly Editorial Cartoon E-mail.

As promised, I returned to my art board this week to deliver my newest cartoon, “Culture of Fear,” below. Sadly, it doesn’t look like much changed on the political front during the month I was away.

In happier news, my sabbatical was refreshing and productive. I spent a good deal of time getting this blog, “An Off the Wahl Perspective,” up and running. My hope is that the OtWP Blog will be the regular home for my new editorial cartoons, and that people will be able to have lively discussions about the issues of the day in the comments area. I also plan to regularly review comics, books, CDs and other items, to give people a glimpse at the things that I’m enjoying (and that, in turn, might be influencing my work). And, finally, there will be occasional travelogues, such as recent posts from my adventure to San Diego’s Comic-Con International (in a nutshell: It was a marvelous spectacle!)

Please feel free to kick the tires. Let me know what you think, preferably via the blog’s comment area, or by e-mail.

That’s all for this week. Back in seven!

Links: Buy a hand-signed, 11×14 print of this cartoon | On the main site: “Culture of Fear” [Archive No. 0725]