The Face of the Presidency

The use of the horribly distorted picture of President Bill Clinton on the cover of the Feb. 11 issue of the magazine was in very poor taste (“The Last Campaign,” by Doyle McManus). The gesture reflected the cynicism too frequently in evidence in the media’s presidential coverage.

Getting only minimal coverage during the president’s first 2 1/2 years, however, were some outstanding accomplishments, as itemized by the Democratic National Committee:

--The deficit was cut nearly in half, and the federal bureaucracy became the smallest since John E. Kennedy was president.

--More than 7 million new jobs were created, a better record than that of any Republican administration since the 1920s. The Bush administration had the worst record of any since the Great Depression.

--The unemployment rate fell from 7% to 5.6%.

--New incorporated businesses numbered 729,000, more than at any time since World War II. Gross domestic product growth rose to 3.5%; it was 1.4% from 1989 to 1992.

--The Misery Index, the combined measure of unemployment and inflation, was the lowest since the Kennedy era.

--Mortgage rates (average fixed rate) since January 1993 have been 7.9%, compared to 9.5% from 1989 to 1992 and 12.9% from 1981 to 1988.

In foreign policy, the president has been more than somewhat effective in easing tensions and encouraging the peace process in the Middle East, Ireland, Bosnia, Haiti and North Korea.

Bill Clinton has proven himself to be an outstanding leader.

Jennieve James

Buena Park

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Dear L.A. Times:

I did not like the picture on the cover of the L.A. Times Magazine of President Clinton. He’s trying his hardest to help people and all he gets in return is people making fun of his nose. I think it’s not fair.

From

Julia McGann

3rd Grade

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The article on President Clinton was well-written, but the cover illustration offended me greatly. Regardless of one’s political views, I believe the president of the United States deserves more respect than that.

Louise R. Kelly

Port Hueneme

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The viciously distorted illustration of the president exemplifies the mean spirit that pervades our political discussions nowadays. We were shocked that The Times would stoop to such a negative approach.

Bettina and Rolf Sabersky

Arcadia

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What a great picture of President Clinton! After having watched him on TV lately, I’d been wondering whether that bulging red nose came from heavy imbibing or as a result of the many lies he’s been feeding to the American public.

Please tell your readers: Is he W. C. Fields or Pinocchio?

Ray F. Cameron

Los Angeles

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I am a registered Republican, but I was very disappointed in the illustration of President Clinton that appeared on the magazine’s cover. I think our president deserves better.

Mary M. Berry

805-985-5260 Port Hueneme

What Republican authority ordered that grotesque distortion of Bill Clinton’s handsome face? Are the politicians so desperate that they need to resort to insulting pictures to bolster their failing rhetoric?

Alex G. Shulman

Beverly Hills