As for the medium itself - well, it can be used childishly, but I don't think it's itself childish. Sometimes a point can be made better visually, with an analogy, with a metaphor, and often with humor. It's more memorable. I disagree with most of Michael Ramirez' politics, but I love his artwork, and he's effective at conveying his strong (sometimes ridiculous) point of view. There are some really brilliant and more liberal cartoonists out there, too, who have championed civil rights, accountability, and so on. I've occasionally thought about doing a "dueling cartoons" feature, but we sorta have that indirectly when I've linked other folks' cartoon roundups.

Thomas Nast helped bring public focus on the corrupt Boss Tweed. Walt Kelly took on Joseph McCarthy. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are in the same tradition – satirizing and mocking public figures who deserve to be skewered. They're popular because they're funny, but also because they do what the "serious" news often doesn't – they call bullshit. I think many of the cartoonists we feature here spread bullshit, but sometimes there's a grain of truth there, and anyway, there's always making snotty comments about their cartoon.

Making a statement in the form of a cartoon just doesn't seem all that grown-up to me. But, since the good ones make me laugh, I won't complain.

Bat, the worst kind of cartoon is one that outright lies. Sadly, many of the toons you display do just that. Eric Allie's "Infrastructure Stimulus" makes the point clear. Even as cartoonists, if you have to lie to make a point, then why even do it? Whoops, forgot... there's that certain percentage of American's who'll buy anything.