As the U.S. government shuts down once again in a display of petty brinksmanship, it’s worth remembering that our Republican and Democrat friends have been pulling crap like this since day one.

To illustrate that point, here’s a fantastic illustration — it’s too nice to be called a cartoon — from a July 1910 issue of Puck magazine. It shows us that, truly, there is nothing new under the political sun. Click for a larger version.

“Now we see through a glass, darkly.”

In a bit of sad irony, I obtained this image from the website of the Library of Congress — which is now shut down.