Support for Bush Rises in Crisis

Re “Bush Dodges Missteps His Father Made,” Oct. 8: Why do presidential ratings soar when a foreign crisis occurs and classically drop to pre-crisis levels in six months or a year? We Americans of all parties tend to stand behind presidents in times of foreign crisis, whether we agree or disagree somewhat with his crisis-handling approach. However, when that crisis no longer envelops our daily lives, we voters will return to the basic issues that affected our votes in the past presidential election, e.g., education, economics, environment, defense, health care, SocialSecurity campaign finance reform, national debt, gun control, birth control, etc.

President Bush’s recent attempts are to portray himself as the average person’s president with talk of extended employment benefits and tax rebates that will reach the working poor. However, look for the GOP to return to its big business and wealth-oriented norm and its classic positions on the other issues. The outcome will most likely be a drop back to the less-than-a-majority approval rating Bush experienced in the last presidential election, regardless of his handling of the current crisis.

Don and Sharron Brundige

San Pedro

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This war needs to be fought with one hand open to offer aid to those who have suffered and one hand clenched to deliver the fatal blow to the head of terrorism. America is about liberty and justice. We can no longer afford to ignore the repressed people of the Middle East and we cannot tolerate the terrorist threat to humanity. I am proud to see our elected leaders react with such noble principles.

During Bush’s campaign for president, many Americans regarded his lack of knowledge of foreign policy to be his greatest weakness. Our president has demonstrated that he is a quick study. His actions have shown that he truly deserves to be the leader of the free world.

Samuel Reeve

Pleasanton, Calif.

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Re “Dry Up the Pools of Discontent,” Commentary, Oct. 8: Most of the warnings Robert Scheer advances have been stated over and over by the president and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They too have read the history books and are not about to get into an endless and costly quagmire, as the Soviets faced in the 1980s.

Scheer states that although Bush is right in declaring that Islam is not our enemy, it is “more important for him to find moderate Muslims, like the brave new king of Jordan.” Where was Scheer when the president invited King Abdullah II of Jordan to meet with him on Sept. 28 in the White House? At this meeting the president thanked the king and recognized the importance of his support.

William H. Smith

Palm Desert

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As our imperial armies rain holy fire on the “enemies of freedom,” I must wonder as I smile upon my baby girl what her life is worth. Is it worth the continuing occupation of Saudi Arabia? Is it worth Israel? Or the opulence of the Kuwaiti royal family? Simply put, this administration (like others before it) will be unwilling to lose face by making concessions to terrorists, although the Monroe Doctrine suggests that their demands are not unreasonable. And I am unwilling to sacrifice my children in order to maintain current Middle East policy objectives.

Let us hope that the body count of this crusade is quickly deemed officially unacceptable and our troops are returned home.

Paul Weingarten

Orange

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This must be what is meant by “compassionate conservatism”: drop bombs on them, then feed them. Maybe the Afghan people are hardier than I am, but if my immediate surroundings were being blown up, personally I don’t think I’d be very hungry anyway.

Kevin Dawson

Sunland

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Over 42% of the population of Afghanistan is under the age of 15. Right now, our bombs are falling on a nation of starving, terrified children. There has to be a better way. It’s up to all of us to dedicate our lives to finding it.

Nancy Carleton

Berkeley

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One goal of the terrorists is to break down the morale of our citizens. With that in mind, I hope we do the same to them by leveling their symbol of justice, the structure where punishment and executions are meted out as weekly entertainment. Let’s turn their damned football stadium in Kabul into rubble.

Steve Smith

San Gabriel

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Holy war. The first oxymoron of the 21st century.

Steve Rosset

Long Beach