"Not too much ticks me off, but making fun of my girls, that'll do it," Cruz said in response to the cartoon, which has since been taken down. But just three days before Christmas, the Washington Post has brought the two senators together on a central tenet of politics -- that children are off limits. The first line of the email from Cruz - which includes a screen grab of the cartoon - reads, "I'm sickened...I knew I'd be facing attacks from day one of my campaign but I never expected anything like this."  The Washington Post removed an editorial cartoon depicting Ted Cruz’s daughters as monkeys from its website Tuesday after the GOP presidential candidate lashed out at the paper. Telnaes also posted a tweet showing the image on Tuesday, which stated that "Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props." The cartoon — which portrayed Cruz in a Santa outfit with an organ-grinder and daughters Catherine, 4, and Caroline, 7, as monkeys — was replaced by a note from editorial page editor Fred Hiatt, explaining that it had generally been the Post's policy “to leave children out of it.” 
 
 Classy. @washingtonpost makes fun of my girls. Stick w/ attacking me--Caroline & Catherine are out of your league,” Cruz tweeted. https://t.co/N61ys6z8w1 — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 22, 2015 
 
 Rubio later tweeted his own disgust for the newspaper and support for Cruz. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree.” 
 
 Telnaes was herself unapologetic, posting a link on Twitter to a parody campaign ad released by Cruz's campaign which showed him reading Christmas stories to his daughters with titles such as “How Obamacare Stole Christmas” and “Rudolph the Underemployed Reindeer.” That ad aired during the most recent episode "Saturday Night Live." “Ted Cruz has put his children in a political ad- don’t start screaming when editorial cartoonists draw them as well,” Telnaes wrote. https://t.co/7hafBacOiK — Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) December 22, 2015 
 
 Cruz received support from his Republican rival Marco Rubio, who called the cartoon “disgusting.” 
 
 Wash Post cartoon featuring @tedcruz’s children is disgusting. The Post saying the kids are “fair game” is even worse,” fellow Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio wrote on Twitter. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 23, 2015 
 
 Thank you, @marcorubio Appreciate the kind support. We're both Dads of young kids, and it's hard enough on them. https://t.co/8bBtHgxv3M — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 23, 2015 
 
 The Cruz campaign was also quick to turn the cartoon into a fundraising appeal to supporters, characterizing it as an attack on Cruz and his family from the "liberal media."
– The Washington Post has retracted a political cartoon featuring Ted Cruz's two daughters that caused the Republican candidate to warn his kids "are not fair game." The image, seen here, from Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes showed Cruz as an organ grinder dressed as Santa, led by two dancing monkeys, representing his daughters Catherine, 4, and Caroline, 7. "Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props," the caption read, per CBS News. Not long after it was published online, however, it was replaced by a note from editorial page editor Fred Hiatt. "It's generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it," he wrote. "I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree." By late Tuesday, Cruz had launched an "emergency" fundraising appeal hoping to raise $1 million in 24 hours so he could "fight back," reports NBC News. He called the cartoon a "tasteless attack" on his children. "I knew I'd be facing attacks from day one of my campaign, but I never expected anything like this," he added, arguing the "liberal media" is trying to "attack and destroy me (and my family) by any means necessary." He was backed by Marco Rubio, who called the cartoon "disgusting." Telnaes, however, defended the cartoon on Twitter. "Ted Cruz has put his children in a political ad," she wrote. "Don't start screaming when editorial cartoonists draw them as well." NBC reports Cruz's daughters were spotted waving to the crowd from a stage at a campaign event last weekend.