When the US President delivers the annual State of the Union address, one cabinet member stays away, so, in the event of devastating attack on the Capitol, someone in the line of succession survives. (And America can fight back under the leadership of the Secretary of Agriculture.) I was reminded of this rule when I encountered almost the entire Campus Progress comics team -- Matt Bors, Brian McFadden, Mikhaela Reid, August J. Pollak, and Jen Sorensen -- in the packed ballroom at the Small Press Expo comics convention in Bethesda, MD. At a time when dullards (or evil geniuses) rule America, it's just a fact that some of our best political minds also happen to be talented illustrators. The crew of cartoonists that contribute to Campus Progress -- and I've now met all of them --are not only sharp wits and sharp pencils but also fine people. We need them to keep our Republic safe. Seriously. Luckily, there was no attack on Bethesda's Holiday Inn Select. (It was smart, though, that David Rees was elsewhere.)

Slowpoke's Jen Sorensen!

Boiling Point's Mikhaela Reid!

David (left) with August J. Pollak (XQUZYPHYR & Overboard), Matt Bors (Idiot Box) and Brian McFadden (Big Fat Whale).

Photos: Carolyn Hartmann