(3 of 4)
Americans will continue to bash the French as well as most other foreigners because Americans don't understand--and don't measure up to--most foreigners. Very few Americans are bilingual or multicultural, as many foreigners are. Foreigners are just better educated than Americans. One often criticizes things one does not comprehend. We Americans simply don't understand the French and never will until we become better educated, multilingual and multicultural--in other words, more sophisticated, like the French! ANN VAIDEN Florence, S.C.
Bush and French President Jacques Chirac will probably demolish what's left of Franco-American friendship. If the two leaders had even a dash of decency, they would admit their faults and work to solve the Iraq problem. The friendship between our two countries was one of our greatest treasures. The propaganda on each side of the Atlantic has been tremendous, and now Americans feel the French are their enemies, when in truth we are their friends. Come back to earth, Bush and Chirac! CHRISTIAN CHEVALIER Grenoble, France
It is a welcome development that the U.S. realizes it is not the only player on the international stage. The U.S. can't always ignore the U.N. Americans have to learn to respect different views and opposing opinions. This is the basis of a stable democracy. FRANCOIS TICHY Toulon, France
WES CLARK'S CANDIDACY
The Democrats have no choice but to select General Wesley Clark as their presidential candidate for 2004 [NATION, Sept. 29]. Not only would Clark appeal to independent voters, but he would also have the support of many military veterans who would normally lean to the Republican Party but have become disaffected with Bush Administration policies. As a retired four-star general with 34 years in the Army, Clark would also represent a symbolic payback for many veterans who have had their loyalty impugned for questioning the motives behind Bush's war in Iraq. DOUG MARTIN Middletown, Md.
What a difference a day makes. On Tuesday Wes Clark was a private citizen considering getting into the race for President. On Wednesday he was a formal candidate. By Thursday he was the Democratic front runner. Imagine how the other presidential contenders feel. Some of them have been out on the campaign trail for more than a year! DENNY FREIDENRICH Laguna Beach, Calif.
Your story on Clark quoted a colonel who worked for him at Fort Hood, Texas, and said Clark "tended to have a blind spot on the human dimension ... And it hurt morale: soldiers respected him, but they didn't love him." When and where is "love" required in military training? I respected but never loved my squad leader, platoon leader, battalion commander or post commander. Yet I guess there must have been a lot of other low-morale, "hurting" people out there. What a bunch of bull, Colonel. If you're looking for love, you're looking in all the wrong places. DAN SZARMACH Pittsburgh, Pa.
THE VOTING GAME