Bob Michel

Mickey Edwards’ Aug. 31 column (“Bob Michel Feels a Nipping at His Heels”) was typical moderate-posing-as-conservative baloney. The young congressmen he refers to as angry may well be, but who wouldn’t be after witnessing for even a day the abuses arrogantly rendered by the majority? The post office, check-bouncing and other scandals persist without any changes implemented to prevent their occurrence.

Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.), for his part, is too willing to compromise with the same people with whom George Bush compromised in 1990. Look what it got us: a huge tax increase which led to a terrible recession. And it got Bush fired. This is the sole reason Republicans unanimously opposed the Clinton budget.

House Republicans do judge by philosophy, but Michel has none. He is far too willing to sacrifice principle for expediency. Most Republicans believe that higher taxes are wrong, that tax and spending cuts are good and a balanced budget is attainable. Michel apparently does not. Michel is not about to lose his minority leader status because he stuck to principles; he is about to lose it because he did not.

BRIAN K. O’NEEL, Tustin