what were they thinking?

Or were they thinking when they published this? Today while I was at the gym, I caught part of this story on CNN. I didn't see the cartoon itself until later.

I find it hard to believe that a responsible editor, even at a rag like the New York Post, would approve such a bigoted piece of work. It's my understanding that the cartoon was placed adjacent to a photo of Barack Obama and a headline about the stimulus package. I tend not to agree with Al Sharpton, but this is an exception. It's one thing to do a caricature. It's quite another to unite a nasty old racist stereotype with an image of violence.