Give the Brilliant Garry South a Break

It was amusing to read Steve Lopez’s May 7 column attacking Garry South, chief strategist of Gov. Gray Davis’ reelection campaign. All of the people Lopez quotes who say bad things about South are unnamed. Is this perhaps because they are people who are bitter from losing a campaign to him?

I’ve worked with South on a number of campaigns and can tell you that he is one of the real stars of the Democratic Party. He is one of those rare individuals with a brilliant mind that is not constricted by conventional thought and practice. Whether Lopez likes South or Davis, one must ask him a simple question: Would Lopez rather have had four years of pro-gun extremist Dan Lungren, followed by four years of inept Bill Simon?

Averell Smith

San Francisco