Washington Post Pulls Controversial "Tank McNamara" Comic Strip Featuring Dick Cheney Telling Roger Goodell to "Kill" Michael Vick

The Washington Post decided to pull the plug on a controversial cartoon that should have appeared in its paper today because the Managing Editor Raju Narisetti deemed the storyline "inappropriate." The fictional subplot appeared in the long-running "Tank McNamara" comic strip, written by Jeff Millar and Bill Hinds, about a former football player who became a television sportscaster. The pulled comic strip featured a conversation between the former vice president Dick Cheney and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was seeking counsel on how to handle the reinstatement of  Michael Vick. The former Falcons quarterback recently completed an 18-month prison sentence for operating a dogfighting ring.

Goodell: “I have to make a move on Mike Vick.”
Cheney: “Kill him.”
Goodell: “Kill him?!?”
Cheney: “Well, not you personally.”

It's not clear why Dick Cheney would tell the commissioner to kill Vick, who is now a free agent.  He was conditionally reinstated by Goodell in late July. He can immediately take part in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games but won’t be considered for full reinstatement until Week 6 of the NFL season.

I am just curious as to why Mr. Millar and Mr. Hinds would use such a horrible choice of words -- "kill him" -- in his comic strip. Michael Vick deserved to be punished, but he paid his debt to society, so why continue to vilify this man? Everyone deserves a second chance to rehabilitate themselves. Don't get me wrong, what Michael Vick and his cohorts did to those dogs at his Bad Newz Kennels was horrific and inexcusable. He will never be the same person nor will he rake in the millions he did at the height of his career, but he does deserve a second chance to find gainful employment and become a productive member of society.