The uses of pull 

• 1970 
• Taylor, Bob 
• Drawing 
• Historical item 

6660951

Drawings / paintings

The uses of pull

39 x 29.5 cm

1970

Original editorial cartoon in pen/brush and crayon on card for the Dallas Times Herald, 1970, shows president Nixon aiming the blunderbuss of a ‘senate filibuster’ at a figure representing ‘Senate’s Cooper-Church Amendment’ who is trying to pull the rug (‘Cambodia funds’) out from under Nixon. On 30 April 1970 Nixon announced to a national television audience that US troops were invading Cambodia to prevent the North Vietnamese military supplying their troops in South Vietnam. The US had already been conducting bombing raids in Cambodia for over a year to prevent this, but to little effect, and had done so without notifying Congress. Senators Cooper and Church proposed an amendment to the Foreign Military Sales Act that would halt all US military activity in Cambodia as of 1 July 1970. After a 7-week filibuster against the amendment organized by the White House and 6-month debate it nevertheless passed the Senate, but was later rejected in the House of Representatives. A watered-down version later passed both houses. The Cooper-Church Amendment was the first attempt to limit presidential power in a war situation. The more comprehensive War Powers Act of 1973 went much further, and meant that the president could send US armed forces into action only with the approval of Congress. Card size 39 x 29.5 cm (14 x 11 inch), image size 35.5 x 25.5 cm, signed lower right, caption in blue crayon in lower border, engraving order on verso dated 20 May 1970. Three tack holes in outer border, bumped corners and some smudging, all outside the drawing except the smudge on the senator’s forehead, otherwise in very good condition.