We at The Telegraph stridently defend the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. After all, particularly on this page, that is what we practice.

Therefore, we do not take criticizing another publication’s political cartoon lightly. However, we believe the attempt at satire an Arizona newspaper made last week was off target.

Keep in mind that Arizona was the home state of the late U.S. Sen. John McCain. Decades before twice winning the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, McCain served as an aircraft pilot in the U.S. Navy. After being shot out of the sky during a bombing run over North Vietnam in 1967, McCain was a prisoner of war until his release nearly six years later.

Presently, there is a hotly contested race for the right to replace U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who is not seeking re-election this year. This bitter campaign pits Republican U.S. Rep. Martha McSally against Democratic U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. Current polls show a tight race between the two congresswomen.

Any competitive political campaign is likely to bring accusations, insults and other forms of vitriol. However, we doubt Sinema would have stooped to the level the newspaper’s political cartoon did in its attack of McSally.

Prior to serving as a member of the House of Representatives, McSally served a 26-year military career after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Before retiring as a full colonel in 2010, she flew more than 300 combat hours, while earning a Bronze Star. She became the first woman in U.S. history to command a fighter squadron.

In a pathetic attempt at satire, the newspaper’s political cartoon depicts Sinema standing on the ground with a bazooka in hand. The side of the rocket launcher features the word “substance.”

At the top of the cartoon, there is a fighter jet, featuring the name “McSally,” which has clearly been struck by the rocket Sinema has fired. As the plane nosedives toward Earth, the tail of smoke behind it includes the words “shallow attacks.”

Whether McSally should serve as Arizona’s senator is for the voters of that state to decide. There are plenty of good soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who would not make good senators.

However, for a U.S. newspaper to show such blatant disregard for the life of someone who flew combat missions in the defense of our country and our allies is an outrage.

Somehow, we doubt this cartoon would have made it into the newspaper had McCain lived to see it.