Anniversary album

9/11 anniversaries allow cartoonists to back slowly away from somberly respectful salutes and inch toward the divisive, attack-dog finger-pointing that is our stock in tirades. Check it out. Walt Handelsman’s one-year milestone couldn’t have been more starkly sober, the perfect tribute, especially because he works in New York. By Sept. 11, 2003, Tom Toles was wandering into the prewar politics of perception, but without naming names or defacing faces. Five years away from the terrorist attacks, the gloves are long since off, freeing Mike Luckovich for a merciless moment of presidential silence. As for what the future may bring, Ted Rall’s crystal ball has already produced a typically over-the-top treatment. And lest you think Ted a tad cynical, he’s not without his progressive prognostications ... hey, he drew a female president!