A Popular President Needs to Be Challenged

Thank God for Robert Kuttner (“Needed Now: Healthy Dissent,” Commentary, Feb. 17). I feared that, somehow, everyone had missed the dangers evolving from the posturing of President Bush and his aides. They must not be allowed to use the popularity of a wartime presidency to take this country into harm’s way or to engineer an election based on accusing people who question his policies or his political party.

We are a democracy, which needs dissent and opposition parties in order to survive. As a nation, we need positive opinion from other nations of the world to pursue world policies that we feel are in our self-interest. We cannot be an aggressor nation. We cannot wage war on anyone and everyone we think may be our future enemies. Only dictators and megalomaniacs think they can rule the world and make it conform to their concept of what is true, right and desirable. Let us all join in the debate regarding what is perceived as good and right for this great nation and the rest of the world.

Albert J. Grafsky Jr.

Palm Desert

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Perhaps some of the answers to Kuttner’s questions can be found in the way in which George W. Bush became president. Fifty-two percent of the voters voted left of center (49% for Gore, 3% for Nader). After weeks of political battle, the Supreme Court intervened and awarded the presidency to Bush. The numbers suggest that the voters would not be supportive of an extreme right-wing agenda. Bush, knowing this, but also knowing that he owed so much to the right wing of the Republican Party, chose to ignore the electorate and steered to the extreme right.

History is replete with examples of leaders who, without any mandate, came to govern with a dictatorial hand. The question is, with only eight months until the midterm election, is there a political party that will have the courage to take up the debate and restore dissent? An obvious choice would be that the Democratic Party should lead the debate. Of course, 49% of the electorate thought the choice was obvious in November 2000.

Jerry Davis

San Clemente

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The tried-and-true adage “actions speak louder than words” has afforded Bush the privilege of having very high popularity ratings. When are our president and some of his Cabinet members going to realize this? His repetitious, hyperbolic rhetoric is frowned upon by an inordinate number of American citizens and by many of our allies.

True patriotic actions promote freedom; hyperbolic rhetoric does not.

Paul P. DuPlessis

Diamond Bar