Quotes of the Day
The Love Him, Hate Him President
"Your report neglected to mention that one of Bush's campaign slogans was 'I'm a uniter, not a divider.' Ironic words indeed."
Bill Pakula
Destin, Fla.
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It's absurd to think George W. Bush single-handedly created divisiveness in the U.S. [Dec. 1]. He became President of a nation already divided by numerous issues — abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, family values, marriage, national security, welfare, the environment, taxes and so forth. Bush naturally takes a position on each issue, just as every other citizen does. He cannot conceivably support all sides.
Anne-Marie Shaffer
Palm Coast, Fla.
Your article clearly communicated the frustration felt by many of us on both sides of the divide. Bush has made sweeping foreign-and domestic-policy changes, creating a lot of chaos. Even those who support him have no idea where he is leading the country. That he doesn't alter his course in response to poll results means two things: he's sure he's right (which is scary enough), and he doesn't care about the opinions of those he serves. These attitudes add up to a god complex, and that's dangerous.
Lauren Martin
Freeland, Mich.
President Bush isn't wishy-washy; he's strong and not afraid to make a decision. The American people should stand behind him. I truly believe that history will vindicate him.
Jenni Simpson
Kosciusko, Miss.
Bush's political style may appeal to those who don't like ambiguity, but it produces bitter partisanship instead of solutions to problems. Compromise and accommodation make democracy work, but Bush does not seem to know how to govern in a democracy.
Don Wittenberger
Seattle
Hate and love are the wrong words to describe how Americans feel about the President. I am not emotional about the man George W. Bush. It is the Bush Administration and the unilateralism of its policies that scare me. How can the U.S. pretend to promote democracy around the world when it is such a poor team player in the U.N., the only global democratic body we have?
Barbara M. Tull
Delaware, Ohio
I've always thought of myself as a reasonable person, one who looks at both sides of an issue before forming an opinion. When it comes to Bush, I've tried to be fair-minded. But the emotion he evokes in me is fear. He has taken this country down a very dangerous path, and I'm scared to death of what is going to happen next. Sometimes I feel as if I've gone to sleep and awakened in George Orwell's 1984.
Sandra Williams
Colonie, N.Y.
I don't know whether I like Bush or dislike him. My husband has been deployed in Mosul, Iraq, since February. At first I was all for the war. Now I'm not so sure of its purpose or why my husband has had to stay over there for so long. Fighting for the freedom of Iraqis, who don't seem to want it, is not worth the price of breaking up families in the U.S.
Laura Whitworth
Pleasant View, Tenn.
I don't really hate Bush — hate is such a strong emotion. I will admit to feeling dislike, disgust and disdain. In all my 73 years, I have never had so little respect for a President. It's too bad, because I'm an easygoing, patriotic, friendly sort of guy, and to be so turned off by someone is against my nature. But that's how I feel about Bush, and judging from your story, there must be millions more Americans like me.
Robert Carrelli
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
--The cover photomontage of George W. Bush sporting a lipstick kiss mark and a black eye definitely got a rise out of readers. "When I saw how you defaced the President's picture, it felt like a slap in the face," wrote a reader from Colorado. That feeling was echoed by many, like the Georgian who declared, "Whether you like him or not, he's our President, and we're at war! Our enemies are probably plastering this picture all over their walls." A Missouri man compared the cover to "graffiti sprayed by an ignorant adolescent." But another Coloradan caught the cover's playful spirit: "When I first saw it, I thought it was Alfred E. Neuman on Mad magazine!"
Continental Divide
In "How Europe Gets Bush Wrong" [Dec. 1], Michael Elliott explained how the Continent's history plays a big part in shaping Europeans' views of the U.S. and Bush in particular. Certainly, European history has its limits, but who can pretend to be above it and able to pass judgment on it? Not Bush. His not being European gives him another perspective on things but not a superior position. If Europeans seem to be caught up in their own way of understanding the world, Bush should keep in mind that he too is caught up in history and his own way of comprehending things, and nothing but international cooperation can legitimize his views and actions.
Gilbert V. Lepadatu
Lexington, Ky.
In my experience, Europeans in general are only marginally less parochial than Americans. It may well be that Europeans today are less knowledgeable or interested in the U.S. than they were 20 years ago. But even so, they are more informed about the U.S. than Americans are about Europe. As for President Bush's speech in London, he has wonderful speechwriters. But a man's actions speak far louder than his words. It's the actions the people of Europe are responding to. When I speak to my friends abroad, I find myself spending a lot of time defending the U.S. The difference between my friends abroad and my right-leaning friends here is that those abroad at least listen.
Wahrena Pfeister
Houston
Terrorists at Europe's Door
The bombings in Istanbul, the latest in a wave of terrorist attacks across the Muslim world [Dec. 1], created the sense that there is some strange new kind of world war. The U.S. and its allies are not only fighting "over there" but are now subject to attacks on their own streets. There is no justification for acts like those in Istanbul. There is most definitely a need, however, for us as a global community to address the grossly unequal distribution of wealth and power in the world that has generated murderous rage against rich nations. The roots of terrorism lie in the growing problems of global poverty and inequality.
Mark C. Eades
Berkeley, Calif.
We are determined to stand just where we are, where Turkey is, at a wonderful intersection of East and West. No bombs or attacks are powerful enough to damage Turkey's strength as a nation or shake its beliefs in both secularity and Islam.
Nimet A. Kocak
Istanbul
Michael's Latest Jam
Your article reported Michael Jackson's arrest after child-molestation allegations made by Santa Barbara County district attorney Thomas Sneddon Jr. [Dec. 1]. I like Jackson, though I'm not a big fan, but I'm certainly no fan of Sneddon's. His antics were an insult to the office he holds. His glee at the news conference announcing the arrest warrant was almost sophomoric. But there's nothing amusing about accusations of child molestation. It is an ugly crime. And what about the dozens of officers who raided Jackson's ranch? Overkill? I think so! Sneddon had better have the goods. If not, his office will suffer its biggest blow in recent history.
Marty Clausen
Santa Barbara, Calif.
The article detailing Jackson's latest travails hit home rather hard when it referred to "the albino freak who used to be Michael Jackson." I am the mother of two children with albinism. Can you explain to them what, exactly, is an "albino freak"? The term albino has been misused for generations to connote a set of negative characteristics. The truth is that people with albinism are entirely normal. They do not have special powers, mental defects or unusually thick skins to protect themselves from ignorant comments. For more information about albinism, I urge you to visit the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation website at www.albinism.org. Raising happy children is challenging enough without having to explain unnecessary cruelties like the comment in your magazine.
Susan Leslie DuBois
Arlington, Va.
What's a Dem to Do?
Re Joe Klein's hand wringing in "why the Democrats Are All Boxed In" [Dec. 1]: Klein asked, "If Iraq is stabilized...what will the Democrats run on?" Well, gee, Joe, maybe we'll run on the fact that the U.S. has lost 3 million jobs in the past two years. Or that, with continued offshore corporate tax benefits, the g.o.p. is pulling what's left of the rug out from under American workers. Maybe American seniors will realize that the new $400 billion Medicare bill is exactly that: a fat bill that will be in the mail while a huge bonus goes to the pharmaceutical industry. The Democratic Party already has a lot to run on in 2004. Those of us in the hinterlands have our eyes on the prize, and we want our democracy back.
Marty Goldin
Bath, Maine
It is a sad day when Klein writes, "the Democrats are boxed into complicated and unpopular positions because they tend to stand on principle." The principle they are standing on is morality, and that can never become "antiquated, peripheral and, arguably, foolish." It is the principle of morality in the conduct of economics and world diplomacy that has united the Democratic candidates for President. They offer voters the hope that we can revive the soul of democracy.
Joanna Loehr
Gig Harbor, Wash.