Quotes of the Day

Give Beijing A Chance
Simon Elegant's article on the eve of one of China's greatest moments — "An Olympic-Sized Security Blanket" — misrepresented the mood in Beijing as the Games got under way [Aug. 18]. Though ordinary life for some residents has been disrupted, most of them are proud of the fact that the Olympic Games are finally being hosted here in their home city and hope that the event will be remembered as one of the most successful and safe in history. I can imagine foreigners reading this piece and fearing our capital as an intimidating hellhole. This is so far from the truth.
Mao Yilei,
Beijing

C'mon, Bill and Hillary — Smile!
I don't give a damn about any slight, perceived or otherwise, of Senator Hillary Clinton or her backers by Obama or his staff [Aug. 18]. America needs a Democrat in the White House. We need Obama's intelligence, his willingness to seek diplomatic solutions and his patience. Soothe your own bruised egos. Relax the clenched jaws. Pay your own bills. Above all other matters, work hard to get Obama elected in November.
John Gambardella,
Cundletown, Australia

Knock 'Em, Sock 'Em McCain
The campaign outlined in "A Whole New McCain" is an insult to the intelligence of the American voter [Aug. 18]. When our military personnel are dying in foreign wars, McCain dares to raise Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to the level of a national political debate. With the U.S. facing an energy emergency, McCain jokes about tire inflation. When your 85-year-old mother loses her General Motors health benefits because GM can't sell cars, you want health-care solutions, not McCain's juvenile critique of Obama's European trip. Voters must demand solutions from those running for office — not fifth-grade political campaigns with playground sound bites. As a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, I find it disturbing that McCain has lost touch with reality.
Major Robert Tormey (ret.),
Escondido, Calif., U.S.

Surely, this is "A Whole New McCain." Gone is the McCain of principle, the maverick, the straight talker. Gone is the McCain who stood with the troops and backed up his rhetoric with votes in the Senate. Gone is the McCain we might disagree with on issues but whom we could still respect as a person of substance. To those who still wonder if a McCain presidency would amount to no more than a third Bush Administration, wonder no more: McCain is already giving us more of the shameful antipolitics Bush has been handing us for eight years now.
Brian P. Cohoon,
St. Paul, Minn., U.S.

A whole new McCain does not mean a whole new politics. The slander, the rumor-mongering, the fluffy message-hawking — these are all symptoms of a very old sickness that has rattled around America for a while. Young voters are interested in Obama because he is so unlike the person McCain is showing himself to be. The viral video ad the McCain campaign released isn't a hit because people see through this desperate strategy. Since the Democratic primaries, Obama has clung to a belief in meaningful arguments and substance. He has refused, so far, to pander to the kind of agitprop that the Bush campaign ran in 2004 to defeat Kerry. McCain, though, seems determined to deploy the slime. Is America really going to let itself be swift-boated again?
Leslie Castello,
Jacksonville, Fla., U.S.

Can Obama Debate?
I think Obama's reluctance to debate, especially in a town-hall context, stems from his not wanting to think on his feet, something he doesn't seem to do particularly well, with his frequent stammering and "wait a minute" efforts to clarify himself [Aug. 18]. When you can't be straight with people about what you really want to do, you get stuck trying to think fast about what you can say that will placate the large majority of people and not tick off your base. In Obama's case, that seems to present a real challenge.
Dan Burns,
Sacramento, Calif., U.S.

Drugs Are Funny?
So, when comedian Seth Rogen talks about taking illegal drugs in three of his answers to 10 Questions, it's hilarious [Aug. 18]? I acknowledge that his new film is a stoner comedy and that he has to promote it to his adoring fans — both teenagers and adults — but why should we find it amusing that Rogen is unabashed about his illegal (not to mention health-damaging) actions?
Paige Varner,
Albany, Georgia, U.S.

I am disgusted that you chose to glorify Rogen and celebrate his illegal pot-smoking rather than condemn it. Surely you could have found a celebrity who deserves recognition for a positive reason.
Shawna Zervos,
Moundsville, W.Va., U.S.