Quotes of the Day

A Campaign Comeback
Hillary and Bill Clinton might be "Ready to Rumble" the Democratic Party right into a loss in November [March 17]. Her plan is to convince the Democratic leadership that Barack Obama is unelectable. But if she fails to get the nomination, she might end up persuading swing voters to support John McCain in the general election, possibly dooming us to another four years of war in Iraq. Maybe then she could become part of the Republican strategy team.
Paula Rantz,
Palo Alto, Calif., U.S.

Even though Clinton knows it's mathematically impossible for her to gain the elected-delegate lead, she will not quit. She wants to keep throwing dirt at Obama. Why? So she can weaken him going into the general election against McCain and position herself for another run for President in 2012. The Clintons don't care about Democrats' winning a Senate or House majority this year. They don't care about gaining independents, new young voters or disaffected Republicans. They don't care about the health of the Democratic Party. All they care about is winning — if not now, eventually. It is time for the Clintons to go, take their baggage and park it at the Clinton library, where all their sordid secrets can remain hidden from our view.
Ken Kosier,
Verona, Wis., U.S.

Karen Tumulty and David Von Drehle talk about how Hillary Clinton is obsessed with winning and has been mounting relentless attacks against Obama. That's the case with any candidate trying to catch up. Didn't Obama attack Clinton with the same intensity when she was considered the front runner? Winning is also Obama's goal. Neither candidate is more innocent than the other — it's just how the game is played. So no need to scream bloody murder when Clinton is on the offensive.
Brenda Huang,
San Jose, Calif., U.S.

I noticed that Clinton's image on the cover obstructed the m in TIME, leaving the word tie above her head. Great hidden message!
Ric Timmers,
Bear, Del., U.S.

How can Hillary Clinton look at herself in the mirror after trying to cajole people like Howard Dean to include Michigan's and Florida's delegate votes? The Democratic primaries have turned into a contest to see who can manipulate the system to gain advantage — and both candidates have become political chameleons. We want to see their true colors, not the ones they think are going to get them elected.
John Gardiner,
Lakewood, Colo., U.S.

Locked Up in the Land of the Free
Your dashboard graphic showing the breakdown of inmates by race reminded me about why our prison system has deservedly earned us the contempt of the world [March 17]. We incarcerate a larger percentage of the population than any other nation, and the government puts away harmless souls under the guise of fighting its two "wars" on terrorism and drugs. It's a tragic irony that freedom is now a mere buzzword in a land once regarded by many as a beacon to the world.
Gordon Wilson,
Laguna Niguel, Calif., U.S.

Music Therapy? It was remarkable that there was so much hoopla over whether this one visit by the New York Philharmonic could somehow have a lasting effect on relations between North Korea and the civilized world [March 10]. This flies in the face of the Bard's admonition to remember that what's past is prologue. Not quite four decades ago, the U.S. table-tennis team ping-ponged to Beijing, opening the door for Nixon to play the "China card" against the Soviets, but that only led to nearly two decades of détente. The only effective way to bring about the end of totalitarian regimes is direct confrontation. The U.S.S.R. fell because world leaders like Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II confronted that state and its ideology head-on.
Richard Kade,
Sunnyvale, Calif., U.S.