Politico has been in the hot seat in recent months for, as MSNBC's Chris Matthews put it earlier this week, serving as a “hot line” for Dick Cheney, saying, "[h]e uses you like you'd use Drudge or somebody."

The pressure has been so intense that Politico editor John Harris was forced to offer up a lame defense of his publication's stenography services for the former Vice President.

All is not lost however. One Politico employee wants us to know that he hasn't been pulling any punches when it comes to Bush's former number two. In fact, so seemingly upset by the spat of negative attention hovering around the beltway rag, this enterprising soul sent an email to Romenesko to straighten things out once and for all. Did I mention he's the cartoonist?

I kid you not.

The email from Matt Wuerker to Romenesko follows:

I couldn't help but have my fragile cartoonist ego hurt by the building beef out there about the Cheney coverage by Politico.

As part of the slowly shrinking tribe of editorial cartoonists, it's hard not to be a little thin skinned these days, so it pains me to have to point out myself that at least in my little corner of Politico (which runs off our home page) I don't think Cheney's getting a free ride. The bloggers that are all howling about how we're so clearly in the tank for Cheney seem to not read down toward the bottom of our homepage.

To bolster my case I'm attaching three examples from just this past year. I have many more going further back. I know that my little cartoon corner doesn't have nearly the reach that Mike Allen does, but still, even ink-stained wretches hate to be completely overlooked.

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/71146/

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/70836/

http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/72875/