'In the next life you will come back as each other' cartoon by Patrick Cook, the Bulletin, 2007

This is a cartoon by Patrick Cook showing Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd sitting at the feet of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama says, 'In the net life you come back as each other.'

The electoral contest between John Howard and Kevin Rudd in 2007 invited comparison of the two men. Cartoonists suggested that the similarities between the two leaders were greater than they first appeared to be.

Political cartoons have a long history in Australia, and remain one of the most popular forms of political commentary. Though caricatures and satirical illustrations appeared in some of Australia's earliest newspapers, it was not until the 1830s that they became a frequent and respectable feature of the print media. Publications such as the Melbourne Punch, the Sydney Punch, the Bulletin featured both caricatures and cartoons, and it was through these publications that political cartoons became a popular element of the Australian press.

Patrick Cook is a well-known author, screenwriter and scriptwriter as well as a prolific cartoonist. He is a regular contributor to the Bulletin.