McCain profile sheds some light

Re “Do we need another T.R.?” Current, Nov. 26

We know Teddy Roosevelt. He was a friend of the American people when he went against fat-cat corporations and created national parks. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is no Teddy Roosevelt. When McCain’s voting record shows he is indeed a conservative Republican, when he backs down from habeas corpus and kisses up to right-wing ideologues, he loses his “maverick” standing. In the real world, McCain is just another conservative Republican.

JEROLD DRUCKER

Tarzana

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Matt Welch’s opinion piece is by far the ultimate in character assassination. It’s obviously the opening volley of The Times’ crusade against the senator. McCain’s politics certainly don’t dovetail with mine, but at least the man deserves to participate in the national dialogue leading up to the 2008 presidential election.

WALTER J. HENDERSON

Ridgecrest

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I notice that Welch is assistant editor of the editorial pages. Is his hatchet job on McCain indicative of what we will see in Current and The Times’ editorial pages? If so, thanks for tipping me off.

WENDELL H. JONES

Ojai