Quotes of the Day

See How They Run
Joe Klein ignored the most important reason Barack Obama is winning: media adoration [Feb. 25]. Where is the scrutiny of Obama's flawed policy proposals, his attacks on Hillary Clinton's proposals, his business dealings and record in the Illinois state legislature? Television news programs relentlessly broadcast far more comments and video highly favorable to Obama. Klein repeatedly tells us Clinton is not inspirational, but millions of us find her very inspiring. We believe we are electing a President, not a television evangelist. Too bad the press disagrees. Our democracy is not well served.
Horace Newton Barker Jr.
Chattanooga, Tenn., U.S.

In U.S. elections, perception is everything. A pretty face, a pop-star aura and clichés about welfare, justice, freedom and change are all a candidate needs to lure ecstatic audiences into believing the new messiah has arrived. Form rules over substance, and Obama thrives on it. His charisma obliterates the emptiness of his message. Too bad for Clinton. Her voice is too shrill, her laughter too loud and her tears too easy. Who cares about her profound knowledge of the issues, her long experience with Washington's maze and ways, and her useful insight into the Republicans' bag of tricks? Yet such substantial qualities are vital in the final race to the White House. Confronted with the Republican candidate in a nationwide election, Obama won't stand a chance.
Herman D'Hollander,
Antwerp, Belgium

Leave No Afghan Behind
Having helped build or repair 27 schools in north-central Afghanistan over the past six years, I can verify that education is a building block to eliminating poverty, oppression and extremism [Jan. 28]. I have seen remarkable social, political and economic changes among the more than 20,000 children we represent, particularly the girls. They are marrying later and having fewer children. Families are healthier, and mortality rates have decreased. Children are learning much needed life skills. More important, there is now hope. Despite staggering odds, kids are thinking about the future. There is new respect for the rule of law and support for democracy. Communities that have fought for years have laid down their weapons. Children are learning common languages and even playing soccer together. Schools are not simply teaching the three R's; they are also nation-building.
Julia M. Bolz, Founder, Journey with an Afghan School,
Seattle

I can't get this article out of my mind. We have troops in Afghanistan, and I'm sure we are able to transport arms, vehicles, food, clothing and reading material to them. Can't we send just one plane full of notebooks and textbooks to the girls of Afghanistan?
Joanna Ferrante,
Mineola, N.Y., U.S.

The Oscars Blooper Reel
Richard Corliss is fully justified in griping about incorrectly awarded Academy Awards [Feb. 25]. There should be retrospective awards to correct previous errors of judgment. They could be awarded on Oscar night each year as an adjunct to the main ceremony. Citizen Kane could then — at last! — be advertised with an Oscar cachet. Not that it needs to, of course — but still. And second-place nominees in any category should automatically be included in the next year's voting, affording the Academy a more immediate opportunity to correct glaring errors.
Jan Schaafsma,
Betty's Bay, South Africa

Corliss thinks Shakespeare in Love and its leading lady, Gwyneth Paltrow, were not Oscar worthy? The film has the cleverest plot, the most literate dialogue and the best acting and musical score, all while offering hilarity and heartbreak, romance and cold calculation. It succeeds marvelously in every way. As for Paltrow, if talent were possessed of speed, light itself would lag behind her. She gave breathtaking performances as Lady Viola and Thomas Kent in Shakespeare in Love, and she got only one Oscar for it? What was the Academy thinking?
Alan B. Posner,
Royal Oak, Mich., U.S.

To the list of Oscar's missteps, I would add Gentlemen's Agreement over Great Expectations in 1947, Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) over James Stewart (Anatomy of a Murder) in 1959 and Elizabeth Taylor (Butterfield 8) over Deborah Kerr (The Sundowners) in 1960. At or near the top of the list of missing nominations, I would place both Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant (His Girl Friday) in 1940.
Paul J. Corigliano,
San Marcos, Calif., U.S.

Every show, award or list will have its doubters. The Oscars have made many goofs, but often, subsequent adulation vindicates such overlooked nominees. After receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Charlie Chaplin got one of the longest standing ovations in Oscar history. I don't think he would have exchanged that for a competitive Oscar he missed out on during his career.
Anurag Chatrath,
Edinburgh

A Better Union
Michael Duffy failed to mention the best V.P. candidate for either Clinton or Obama — namely, Bill Richardson [Feb. 18]. Think about the support he can get from Hispanic voters in the Southwest and California.
Ronald Glossop,
Jennings, Mo., U.S.

Reading Between the Pixels
I was immediately struck by your choice of photographs in "The Great Divide" [Feb. 18]. Whether intentional or not, your portrayal of Clinton in stark black-and-white photos, juxtaposed with the much warmer color photos of Obama, had the effect of increasing the very divide your article addressed. Obama was shown smiling and playing with a soccer ball, while Clinton was shown doing a phone interview, studying papers in preparation for a rally and standing in the dark before giving a speech. Photographs can be just as biased as language. A little more evenhandedness would have been preferable.
Marcia Hayden-Horan,
Syracuse, N.Y., U.S.

iAnxiety
I am sure TIME did not mean to give Microsoft's Steve Ballmer and Yahoo!'s Jerry Yang any more anxiety, but the imaginary "microHOO!" website you depicted apparently runs on Apple's Macintosh OSX, with Apple's Safari Web browser, complete with the built-in Google search field [Feb. 18].
Malcolm G. Ross,
Annandale, Va., U.S.

Coming to Cupid's Rescue
In a world at war with toxins, violence, global warming and weird diseases, Nancy Gibbs' attack on Valentine's Day (which she called "A Day to Forget") is right up there with the Grinch stealing Christmas [Feb. 18]. Perhaps Gibbs, too, needs to check the size of her heart. The day's popularity throughout so many centuries suggests that the stories of Valentinus' deeds in the service of love have caught the public's imagination. Before condemning things of legend, consider how we have incorporated tales of another saint into our lives. Although society has made Santa Claus the hero of a consumer-driven, materialistic culture, at the core of that character is the love St. Nicholas had for his God and neighbor. Why not celebrate the legend of Valentinus on Valentine's Day?
Sharon Reidy,
Bedford, Mass., U.S.

I take umbrage with Gibbs' Dismissal of Valentine's Day. It is one of the yearly events that does not have to be commercial. I make heart-shaped cookies with a friend, and we send most of them to our children and grandchildren, who live across the country. Each swipe of frosting, each sprinkle of red sugar is an act of love. We tie the boxes with red bows and send them off. Not everything has to be expensive or come from a store. Saying "I love you" is easy — if somewhat caloric.
Susan Cavenagh,
Carlisle, Pa., U.S.