Letters to the editor

Re “Loyal to an ideal or just out of touch?” Feb. 21

Loyal to an ideal or just out of touch? I would say neither.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal or Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, in refusing bailout money from Washington, are designing their oratory for the next Republican primaries. Witnessing that a Democrat who voted against President Bush’s invasion of Iraq won the White House, they’re calculating that their move will afford the same sort of bragging rights.

You could say that the scheme is farsighted, but only in terms of their own advancement -- to heck with the needs of their citizens. You could say it’s a highly principled stand, but it’s more of a crapshoot, predicting the stimulus’ failure. All of which says something about the sorry character of Republican leadership. Typically, they’ll miscalculate that too.

Jules Brenner

Hollywood