Editing Doonesbury (section)

===2000s===
* In November 2000, a strip was not run in some newspapers when Duke said of presidential candidate [[George W. Bush]]: "He's got a history of alcohol abuse and [[cocaine]]."
* In September 2001, a strip perpetuated the [[U.S. Presidential IQ hoax|Internet hoax]]<ref name="snopes">{{cite web| url = http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/presiq.htm| title = President Bush Has Lowest IQ of all Presidents of past 50 Years| access-date = 2006-09-11| date = 2004-07-15|website=Snopes.com}}</ref> that claimed George W. Bush had the lowest IQ of any president in the last 50 years, half that of [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="dailydose2001">[https://web.archive.org/web/20020630211835/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index20010902.htm ''Doonesbury'' Daily Dose] as retrieved via web.archive.org</ref> When caught repeating the hoax, Trudeau apologized "with a trademark barb – he said he deeply apologized for unsettling anyone who thought the president quite intelligent."<ref name="bbc2001">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1530220.stm |title=Doonesbury Creator Falls for Hoax |website=BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526030607/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1530220.stm |archive-date=May 26, 2006 |date=September 7, 2001 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 2003, a cartoon that publicized the recent medical research suggesting a connection between masturbation and a reduced risk of prostate cancer, with one character alluding to the practice as "self-dating", was not run in many papers; pre-publication sources indicated that as many as half of the 700 papers to which it was syndicated were planning not to run the strip.<ref name="avni">{{cite news |last=Avni |first=Sheerly |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/09/05/trudeau/index.html |title='Doonesbury': Jerked Off the Funny Pages |website=Salon |date=September 5, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606214808/http://dir.salon.com/story/mwt/feature/2003/09/05/trudeau/index.html |archive-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In February 2004, Trudeau used his strip to make the apparently genuine offer of $10,000 (to the [[USO]] in the winner's name<ref name="bushguard">{{cite web |url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/bush_guard.html |title=Bush National Guard Offer |website=Doonesbury.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040227203959/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/bush_guard.html |archive-date=February 27, 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>) for anyone who could personally confirm that George W. Bush was actually present during any part of his service in the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]]. Reuters and CNN reported by the end of that week that despite 1,300 responses, no credible evidence had been offered.<ref name="cnn2004">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/27/elec04.bush.doonesbury.reut/ |title=No Winner Yet in 'Doonesbury' Bush Search |work=CNN |date=February 27, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121124527/http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/27/elec04.bush.doonesbury.reut/ |archive-date=January 21, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> An FAQ posted on the ''Doonesbury'' site in September of that year noted that the submissions, while "surreally entertaining", had failed to provide a single definitive corroborator, adding that Trudeau had donated the $10,000 to the USO anyway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq_sl.html|title=GBT's FAQs - Story Lines|date=October 13, 2004|access-date=October 1, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013024932/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/faqs/faq_sl.html|archive-date=October 13, 2004|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* April 2004: On April 21, after nearly 34 years, readers finally saw B.D.'s head without some sort of helmet. In the same strip, it was revealed that he had lost a leg in the [[Iraq War]]. Two days later, on April 23, after awakening and discovering his situation, B.D. exclaims "SON OF A '''BITCH!!!'''" The single strip was removed from many papers—including ''[[The Boston Globe]]''<ref name="globe2004">Joseph P. Kahn, [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/11/02/doonesbury_language_gets_some_edits/ {{"'}}Doonesbury' Language Gets Some Edits"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060712021933/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2004/11/02/doonesbury_language_gets_some_edits/ |date=July 12, 2006 }}, ''The Boston Globe'', November 2, 2004</ref>—although in others, such as ''[[Newsday]]'', the offending word was replaced by a line. ''[[The Dallas Morning News]]'' ran the cartoon uncensored, with a footnote that the editor believed profanity was appropriate, given the subject matter. An image of B.D. with an amputated leg also appeared on the cover of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that summer (issue 954).
* In June 2005, Trudeau published ''The Long Road Home'', a book devoted to B.D.'s recovery from his loss of a leg in Iraq. Although Trudeau opposed the Iraq War, the foreword was written by Senator [[John McCain]], a supporter of the war. McCain was impressed by Trudeau's desire to highlight the struggle of seriously wounded veterans, and his desire to assist them. Proceeds from the book, and its sequel ''The War Within'' benefited [[Fisher House Foundation|Fisher House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fisherhouse.org/inTheNews/injured_05_02_CC.shtml|title=Fisher House -- Helping Military Families|date=September 26, 2006|access-date=November 18, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926193747/http://www.fisherhouse.org/inTheNews/injured_05_02_CC.shtml|archive-date=September 26, 2006|df=mdy-all}}</ref>
* July 2005: Several newspapers declined to run two strips in which [[George W. Bush]] refers to his adviser [[Karl Rove]] as "[[Turd Blossom]]", a nickname Bush has been reported to use for Rove.<ref name="blossom">[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/papers-pull-doonesbury-over-potty-put-down-1.557443 Papers Pull 'Doonesbury' Over Potty Put-Down], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], July 26, 2005</ref>
* In September 2005 when ''[[The Guardian]]'' relaunched in a smaller format, ''Doonesbury'' was dropped for reasons of space. After a flood of protests, the strip was reinstated with an omnibus covering the issues missed and a full apology.<ref name="katz">{{cite news | last = Katz | first = Ian | title = My Doonesbury hell | work = The Guardian | location = London | date = October 14, 2005 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1569255,00.html | access-date = December 14, 2016 | archive-date = March 7, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160307070748/http://www.theguardian.com/g2/story/0,,1569255,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref>
* The strips scheduled to run from October 31 to November 5, 2005, and a Sunday strip scheduled for November 13 about the nomination of [[Harriet Miers]] to the Supreme Court were withdrawn after her nomination was withdrawn. The strips have been posted on the official website,<ref>{{cite web | title=Doonesbury@Slate Miers' Strips | url=http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/miers.html | access-date=November 19, 2005 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051105061223/http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/miers.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = November 5, 2005}}</ref> and were replaced by re-runs by the syndicate.
* Trudeau sought input from readers as to where Alex Doonesbury should attend college in a May 15, 2006, straw poll at Doonesbury.com. Voters chose among [[MIT]], [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute|Rensselaer]], and [[Cornell University|Cornell]]. Students from Rensselaer and then MIT hacked the system, which was designed to limit each computer to one vote. In the end, voters logged 175,000 votes, with MIT grabbing 48% of the total. The Doonesbury Town Hall FAQ stated that given that the rules of the poll had not ruled out such methods, "the will, chutzpah, and bodacious craft of the voting public will be respected", declaring that Alex will be attending MIT.
* Before the 2008 presidential election, Trudeau sent out strips to run in the days after the election in which [[Barack Obama]] was portrayed as the winner. Newspapers were also provided with old strips as an alternative.<ref name="obama">{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/6088604.html|title='Doonesbury' strip assumes Obama will win |website=Houston Chronicle|date=November 6, 2008|access-date=November 18, 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106060144/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/6088604.html|archive-date=November 6, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="latobama" /> When asked whether he created the original strip with complete confidence in an Obama victory, Trudeau replied: "Nope, more like rational risk assessment. [[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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cavna |first=Michael |title=Obama Wins? Yes, 'Doonesbury' Calls the Election |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2008/10/doonesbury_calls_the_election.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 31, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101034319/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2008/10/doonesbury_calls_the_election.html |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In response, McCain spokesman [[Tucker Bounds]] said, "We hope the strip proves to be as predictive as it is consistently lame."<ref name="latobama" />