Pat Buchanan

Marvin Liebman strikes the nail that should have been struck years ago in “The Big Tent Isn’t Big Enough” (Commentary, March 17). As he says, the Republican Party “has provided a haven for bigotry for more than six decades.” How do we explain the attraction of the party to the long line of bigots enumerated by Liebman?

The latest is Pat Buchanan who has been wafting aphrodisiacs to racists, anti-Semites and immigrant bashers for at least two decades. Having served Presidents Nixon and Reagan, Buchanan is the hate child of consenting adults within the higher reaches of the Republican Party. Liebman has done us a favor by making this subject a matter of public discussion. Thoughtful Republicans will surely take note.

HENRY CHESLER

Los Angeles

* I have never had any trouble staying at least 180 degrees apart from Arianna Huffington. The unthinkable has actually happened, in that her advice to Sen. Bob Dole regarding Buchanan is dead on (Commentary, March 18).

The Republican Party can look forward to another crushing defeat in the presidential election, as long as Buchanan is allowed a “plank” or an active voice. Being a fairly liberal Democrat this delights me, but in all fairness Huffington is quite correct.

ROBERT F. FALLER

West Covina

* Huffington, as elite as elite can be, sniffs that Dole should tell Buchanan to take a hike and leave the Republican Party. One problem with her elite view is that if Buchanan goes, he’ll walk with millions of votes. Remember 1992, Ms. Huffington?

And what will become of the Republican Party? Why, GOP will stand for Group of Preppies. We’ll then see these twits who are out of touch with average, decent, hard-working rank-and-file former Republicans all wondering why they can’t win any elections.

H. MILLARD

Costa Mesa