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If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.

You pulled it because it might be wrong in it's prediction? So what, it's not real. Do the cartoons have to be factual now? That would disqualify almost all of the cartoons you print. Or do you think it will influence some dumb as dirt reader who might not vote because they read in the newspaper that Obama already won? Anybody voting for McCain most likely doesn't read Doonesbury, and if they are that stupid maybe they shouldn't vote in the first place. I think you overreacted. It would be nice if I could have read it and decided for myself if it was premature, ill-advised, sophomoric, or all of the above.

First of all, did you at least see What Trudeau had to say about it? http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2008/10/doonesbury_calls_the_election.html
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Trudeau tells Comic Riffs today: "If I didn't call the election, I'd have no premise for the week and be forced to write about something else. I didn't want to write about something else. This is history."

Did Trudeau then create the strip with complete and utter confidence that Obama will win? "Nope, more like rational risk assessment," Trudeau explains. "Nate Silver at Fivethirtyeight.com is now giving McCain a 3.7% chance of winning -- pretty comfortable odds. ... Here's the way I look at it: If Obama wins, I'm in the flow and commenting on a phenomenon. If he loses, it'll be a massive upset, and the goofy misprediction of a comic strip will be pretty much lost in the uproar. I figure I can survive a little egg on my face."

But will the yolk also be on editors who run the strip? Says Trudeau: "We've supplied our clients with a week of reruns, just in case."

Trudeau adds: "My editor mentioned initial 'panic and anger' from some papers, but she said cooler heads are prevailing today."

Kathie Kerr, the syndicate's vice president for communications, tells Comic Riffs: "So far, there have been about a dozen calls and/or e-mails [from editors], but they are still coming in. ... They are all requesting the substitute strips; some of them haven't made a decision about running them, but they do want access to them."

Kerr adds: "Still, that's not a huge percentage considering the size of Garry 's client list," which is roughly 1,400 newspapers
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I think Trudeau makes a strong argument, and I think that his strips will be more relevant and all around better if his creativity is accepted. I don't know why it should bother you anyway. People know that Trudeau writes his own stip, not you. If the hammer went down on anyone, it would be Trudeau. Though I really doubt anyone would care.

You bring up Truman/Dewey but that was such a different situation. That was on the front page. This is a tiny and somewhat obscure comic strip inside the opinion page. Furthermore, this is not Truman versus Dewey. Truman versus Dewey was a close race. If McCain wins this race it will be a massive upset.

Please reconsider. Show a little boldness. If you don't run this strip, it will make it look like you just have a bit of a yellow streak down your back. Regardless, it would seem that you are a bit in the minority here in comparison with the 1,400 newspapers that strip runs in.

Anyway, this is my first post here. I hate for it to be such a contrarian one, so I will add that I do like most of your columns that you write. I like Popkey, too.

By the way, do you think you could pretty pretty please pass the word to whoever runs the sunday funnies page to pick up the sunday versions of 'Pearls Before Swine'? I love that comic strip. I know Berkley Breathed is retiring so we won't have any more Opus. We could replace it with Pearls Before Swine. I am poor, but it would convince me to continue my Sunday service. I got the weeklong service months ago and my subscrip is running out. I'm thinking of keeping the sunday service on, though. All I ever read is the Opinions and the Funnies, so this would impact my decision heavily. Plus, Pearls Before Swine is the funniest ever.

Sorry for such a long rant here.

Kevin - you overreacted. If the lack of control over the content of the comic strip is a concern, then move it to the comic strip pages and let the readers decide when to read and how to react as we do with all the other strips. We’re adults. You don’t need to protect us from “premature, ill-advised, or sophomoric comic writers” or to protect the writer from himself.

Kevin, you need more time with your mate. Nap now and then.

Trudeau has been at it so long I'd doubt he'd disturb a fly it he swatted lazily at it.

Kevin, really, your readers can tell the difference between news and cartoons. Really. HUGE overreaction on your part, and I'm quite disappointed. Of course, I'll go ahead and read Doonesbury from other sources. It's not to your credit that your readers have to go somewhere else to read the comics that they are already paying the Statesman for. The only one that would look silly on Wed. if Trudeau is wrong is Trudeau. Get a grip!

by pulling it or blogging about it? Jeezy creezy! Get over your self. What possible harm could have befallen you or the Statesman by running it? Failure to micromanage the content of Garry Trudeau is not why newspapers are tanking. Besides, he's earned a little license. The strip is almost as old as you are. You could damn near teach a course on contemporary politics using his body of work alone.

You're not usually one to walk away from potential controversy. When I heard Trudeau had done this, I thought it was (1) a great lesson in public relations...we're talking about him again, which we haven't been doing in a long time; and (2) his way of commenting on the measured lunacy of the entire pre-election process. And here's the thing to remember about Dewey/Truman: it was 60 years ago...technology and more sophisticated information gathering methodologies have given us far better tools with which to make accurate predictions. Sorry, but I do think you overreacted. BTW, "Doonesbury" as part of the editorial section? Last I heard, it wasn't a political cartoon, it was a comic strip.

It even REVERTS now and then.

I grew up with Doonesbury, and it was always in the Comics section. You guys at the Statesman choose to place it in the Opinion page, for some strange reason. Yes, I realize there is political commentary, but first and foremost, it is meant to be funny.

You do us all a disservice when you choose to censor- that's not what I buy a newspaper for. Why give newspapers a Constitutional guarantee of independence, if you are going to be too cowardly to use it?

As for Mallard Fillmore- that simply is not funny. It is merely sarcastic, and not in a witty way. You should loose Tinsely- there are a million conservative cartoonists that can make a point and manage to be funny.

It sounds more like censorship.