The octopus makes a great metaphor -it has many arms that can do multiple things at once, it is strange and unfamiliar, and it has a long reputation for grabbing things. It's no wonder the cephalopod gets used in political cartoons and propaganda. The blog Vulgar Army documents these historical uses of the octopus, usually to make some entity look too powerful and/or evil, with pictures and in-depth information. Shown is "The Devil Fish of California Politics" from 1889. Link -via Nag on the Lake
Makes you wonder where the creativity in journalism went.