Battle Lines highlights the efforts of editorial cartoonists as they communicate their views of the war in Iraq. We are inviting cartoonists from around the world to answer three questions about the creative process. If you have a suggestion for a cartoon or a cartoonist, please let us know by adding your comments to our forum. Or send an e-mail to cartoonists@poynter.org.

Nick Anderson, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

"How did your idea begin? What was the genesis of the way you chose to approach your drawing? What sparked the idea?"

In my opinion, it has been clear for months that this war was a fait accompli. We've known for years about the Paul Wolfowitz theory promoting "regime change" in Iraq. Soon after the "Axis of Evil" speech, Bush started talking about the need for "regime change" in Iraq. It was only later that the rationale was back-pedaled to "disarmament." Anyone closely watching this unfold knows the die was cast months ago. So, to me, it was insulting and cynical for the Bush administration to repeat the mantra over and over again that "no decision had been made yet."

It was with this in mind that the famous Shakespearean phrase "to be, or not to be" fleetingly crossed my mind. It almost slipped away before I recognized the opportunity to use the reference in an unexpected way, to reflect my opinion that the war was "to be," no matter what.

BATTLE LINES

A project in conjunction with the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and the Professional Cartoonist Index * For more cartoons, visit Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index on MSN's Slate or the AAEC site.

Did the original concept change as you developed it? If so, how did it evolve?

Most cartoons do evolve a little over the course of a day. This one didn't.

From your point of view, what works best about this cartoon and what, if anything, would you change?

My only regret about the cartoon is that Hamlet did not make the "to be, or not to be" while holding up the skull...it was from a different act of the play. But that's a small quibble. I felt I had to use the skull as my symbol of war to make the cartoon work. A little creative license had to be taken.

About the creator:
Name: Nick Anderson
Publication: The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
Brief bio information: 11 years with the Courier-Journal; winner of the SPJ's Sigma Delta Chi Award in 2000; winner of the John Fischetti Award in 1999.
Link to paper's website: http://www.courier-journal.com/nick/index.html


Why we are doing this:
Being an editorial cartoonist is not much different than being an editorial columnist. In fact, you can make the argument, as it has been made to me, that the process is the same. You have a view that you want to share with your audience; you develop your ideas and decide how best to communicate your thoughts. You do a draft, which is sometimes tinkered with by an editor. Finally, you complete the work and hope that your readers understand the point you were trying to share. Unlike a columnist -- who has a column of text with which to convey his or her thoughts -- the cartoonist tries to communicate with a few words and a visual image.