The Political Cartoons of the Week represent our choice of the best political cartoon[s] we've seen during the previous seven days.

The precipitous if long overdue departure of the United States military from Afghanistan currently underway, with its echoes of Saigon, 1975, and the war profiteering that seems especially rampant whenever the US attempts to "nation-build", provide especially rich fodder for the nation's political cartoonists this week. And for the first time, a local cartoonist cracks our weekly crop with his wry take on Cleveland's mayoral election.

Political cartoons have a long and venerable history in American journalism and politics. We tend to favor those that produce a visceral reaction, an almost instant recognition that the cartoonist got to the essence of a topic via sharp imagery, a few choice words [often dripping in irony], or sometimes a harmonious blend of the two.

And of course, we're suckers for clever plays on words. 

Here are our top picks from the past week.

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