President and His Friends Have a Lot to Answer For

Re “The Gospel According to the Loony Left,” Commentary, March 18: In true loony right form, Max Boot attempts to portray the left wing as a bunch of irrational conspiracy theorists by making oversimplified statements about serious issues that should be answered for. Sure, some liberals have made ludicrous accusations, like “President Bush knew about 9/11 ahead of time,” but the flaw in Boot’s argument is that he collapses these ridiculous accusations with legitimate ones like those on Haiti, weapons of mass destruction, Dubya’s National Guard record, et al. By lumping all the issues together he diminishes and trivializes the serious ones, but I guess that’s the new conservative defense: All questions and challenges to Republican activity are simply dismissed as either unpatriotic or loony.

Also, is it ironic or hypocritical (maybe both) that the side calling the left “loony” thinks it was perfectly sane to impeach the former president for staining Monica’s dress?

Jeff Edelstein

Sherman Oaks

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It is so great to see Vice President Dick Cheney emerge from his undisclosed bunker for his typically precise and accurate assessment of Sen. John Kerry’s leadership skills (“Clash Deepens Over Wartime Leadership,” March 18). The vice president usually comes out of his hole only to do a little part-time work for Halliburton or to shoot farmed birds with his pals from the highest court of the land. This time Cheney appeared, issued his warning -- and saw his shadow: four more years of war.

Marty Trujillo

Westminster

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Politics seems to be the only place where a draft dodger from Wyoming and an AWOL guardsman from Texas can question the loyalty of an authentic war hero from Massachusetts.

Jerry Buck

Sherman Oaks

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How dare Michael Ramirez imply that voting for Kerry is akin to aligning oneself with terrorists (editorial cartoon, Commentary, March 18)? Perhaps he would like to ban any presidential election until Bush has declared an end to terrorism. Moreover, last I checked, Iraq and Spain were not attacked by Islamic terrorists until Bush dishonestly led the U.S. into Iraq.

Eric Oifer

Santa Monica

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Such a sad commentary on how desperate the right wing is to defame any serious candidate who might threaten its agenda. Ramirez is a disgrace and has defamed a loyal American who, unlike his opponent, actually did serve the United States military on active duty in a time of war. Bush does not fight wars, he starts them.

Allan Klein

Mission Hills

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For too long, Britain and a few other countries went along with the Iraq charade set forth upon the world by the Bush administration. Finally it took a new leader, the Spanish prime minister-elect, to speak honestly about what he recognized -- a war based on lies and deception, like the little boy in the fable who said, “Why, the king has no clothes!”

Albert V. Weaver

Newbury Park

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When Spanish citizens were misinformed by their government, they threw out the government. When American citizens were misinformed by their government, they followed the government like sheep. What gives?

Derming Wang

Diamond Bar