Few roses for Mamet’s new role

Re “Enter Mamet, stage right,” Opinion, March 19

Andrew Klavan is happy to learn that David Mamet, the bona-fide intellectual and artist, is a conservative. What do you suppose won the playwright over? Was it the lies this conservative administration told to get us into this Iraq war? Was it the ruinously inept early days of the occupation? Was it neglecting to pursue terrorists in Afghanistan in favor of fighting the Iraq war? Was it the disastrous decision to lower taxes on the rich before going to war? Was it this conservative president’s steadfastness in saving his own reputation by leaving the war to the next administration to resolve? Was it the excitement of watching our country descend into recession? Was it President Bush’s failure to push the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians until it was too late? Was it Bush’s failure to aggressively pursue alternative energy sources until rising fuel prices and a weakening dollar were set to aggravate a recession?

Gee, all that sounds so wonderful, maybe I’ll become a conservative. On second though, maybe not.

Jim Skerritt

Palm Desert

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Klavan’s worry about the right losing the culture is specious: The right never had it in the first place. He’s proof-positive that conservatives should never try to talk about art, let alone attempt to create it. I’m afraid the only thing Mamet gets out of the deal is instant irrelevance, artistically speaking.

Justin Tanner

Los Angeles

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What a relief to see that, according to Klavan, the right’s “anti-gay prejudice” is finally fading. Funny he didn’t mention that those on the right had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to this so-called new political awareness by “brain-dead” liberals -- just like they were to numerous pieces of legislation, including civil rights, equal workplace rights for women and men and environmental awareness.

Oh, and about Klavan’s observation that conservatives “admit when they’re wrong and change their minds” -- I find it hard to believe that he actually wrote this with a straight face. We are talking about the ideology of Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, just to name a few.

Happy fifth anniversary of the Iraq war to you, Mr. Klavan. If we are lucky, a liberal, brain dead or otherwise, will be elected as our next president. Then perhaps we could drag the right, kicking and screaming, into ending this bloody, costly debacle.

Bob Harris

Hollywood