Covering The Covers
Vanity Fair debuted a faux cover today mocking the New Yorker illustration of the Obamas that recently caused such a stir. The VF version spoofs John and Cindy McCain. The candidate leans on a walker, while his wife clutches several vials of pills.
Here's VF on the stunt:
We here at Vanity Fair maintain a kind of affectionate rivalry with our downstairs neighbors at The New Yorker. We play softball every year, compete for some of the same stories, and share an elevator bank. (You can tell the ones who are headed to the 20th floor by their Brooklyn pallor and dog-eared paperbacks.)
And heaven knows we’ve published our share of scandalous images, on the cover and otherwise. So we’ve been watching the kerfuffle over last week’s New Yorker cover with a mixture of empathy and better-you-than-us relief.
We had our own presidential campaign cover in the works, which explored a different facet of the Politics of Fear, but we shelved it when The New Yorker’s became the “It Girl” of the blogosphere. Now, however, in a selfless act of solidarity with our downstairs neighbors here at the Condé Nast building, we’d like to share it with you. Confidentially, of course.
I assure you we'll get no reaction from the McCains, they couldn't be bothered.