George W. Bush: Stealth President

* Re “Bush Is Making His Mark by Not Grabbing Headlines,” March 21: This reminds me of the axiom concerning contracts, that “the large print giveth and the fine print taketh away.” He will avoid the front page to more quietly pursue a conservative activist agenda, which was cloaked under a mantle of moderation during the election. The last thing he wants is for the majority who did not vote for him to actually see what he is doing.

STEPHEN PFINGST

Del Mar

*

Just about every day of his presidency, Bush has attacked the environment in one form or another. He has done this by little changes in policy that usually don’t even make the front pages (“Challenge to New Mine Rules Planned,” March 21), but these changes will surely impact our world for generations to come. Maybe more arsenic in the water, more CO2 in the air, more drilling in the Arctic refuge, more logging in our national forests and less cleanup by mining companies are not eye-catching enough for headlines, but I’m positive that future generations will wish we paid attention.

BILLY LINAS

San Diego

*

The U.S. expulsion of Russian spies is not simply “Tit-for-Tat Diplomacy” (March 23) nor is it a revisit of the Cold War. It simply is a new U.S. administration following an MBA’s “mission statement” of no-nonsense results. Russia, China (in a meeting ending five minutes short of schedule) and Americans--once Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has taken hard decisions to conform the military with reality (“Pentagon Chief Hints at Dramatic Reform”)--will soon learn and appreciate the benefits in getting things done.

LAWRENCE R. GORDON

Santa Monica