Zoe Baird Controversy

Kudos to Zoe Baird, who manifested a sense of justice and fair play as well as to demonstrate her respect for the new Clinton Administration by withdrawing her nomination for attorney general (Jan. 22).

This is a welcome relief from the agony the American public and I suffered during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; we were dragged through the muck of the alleged sexual harassment charges as we watched self-righteous senators foist their moral judgments on us. Other Bush appointees likewise had what appeared to be major character defects that would seem to disqualify them immediately and without question. Yet we had to endure the media’s lengthy scrutiny of each of them while Bush Administration officials would not back off one bit and realize maybe they erred in their judgment by making that appointment.

Thank you, Zoe Baird, and while I do not condone your hiring of the undocumented workers, I commend you for your facing up to your legal and moral obligations.

ROBERT I. REITER

Pasadena