The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines satire as: 1. a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn; 2. trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly.

The New Yorker sparked an uproar last week when its magazine cover featured the presumed Democratic nominee dressed in a turban with his wife as the pair stands in the Oval Office with a portrait of Osama Bin Laden over the fireplace where an American flag burns. Its editors called the sketch a “satire” on “the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign.”

Neither presidential candidate was amused. Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, “The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama’s right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.”

John McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said, “we completely agree with the Obama campaign, it’s tasteless and offensive.”

Not surprisingly, another magazine has followed suit with a similar style portrait of the McCains . Vanity Fair’s version features the 72-year-old McCain using a walker and his wife Cindy in the White House with a portrait of President Bush hanging over a fireplace where a copy of the U.S. Constitution burns.

Many critics of the New Yorker’s cover found the Vanity Fair cover equally tasteless and offensive. What do you think? Poor taste? Poor judgment? Shameless marketing ploys to boost circulation? Share your thoughts in the comments field.

Have more opinions about editorial responsibility? Campaign Trail Talk is excited to welcome the newest addition to America.gov’s blog collection: Freedom of Expression. This blog explores the evolving relationship between citizens, the news media and government.