Paul Conrad

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Paul Conrad is one of the most distinguished political cartoonists in the world. He was chief editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times from 1964 to 1993 and had been syndicated to hundreds of newspapers worldwide. He earned the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1964, 1971 and 1984. Conrad has also won two Overseas Press Club awards (1981 and 1970) and in 1988, the Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi (SDX) honored him with his seventh Distinguished Service Award for Editorial Cartooning. He was also named in Nixon's enemy list in 1973. He has written several books and his work is in the permanent exhibition of the United States Library of Congress.

Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1924, Conrad started cartooning at the University of Iowa for the Daily Iowan. After receiving his B.A. in art in 1950, he worked for the Denver Post, where he spent 14 years before joining the Los Angeles Times. Conrad and his wife, Kay King, a former society writer for The Denver Post, have two sons and two daughters.

Barbra Streisand quoted the following passage written by Conrad, mistakenly attributing its authorship to William Shakespeare. It is actually from a Conrad cartoon depicting President George W. Bush as a sword-wielding Caesar saying:

"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind… And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded with patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader, and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar."

Conrad attributed the quote falsely to Shakespeare, probably secure in the belief that readers would not be fooled by his satiric intent. The passage is not in iambic pentameter, nor are any of the words archaic.

In the media flap following Streisand's misattribution, Reuters initially attributed the quote to Matt Drudge.