Letters to the Magazine

Some readers of our cover package expressed wary hope that Bush Senior and his team might help direct the country and rescue George W. Bush's presidency. "In the past, Bush 43 shunned his father's advice that might have prevented the Iraq morass of today, but maybe now he has found the humility to respect proven competence andlisten," one wrote. But many didn't put much faith in what one called Bush's "last-ditch salvage effort to get it right." "So Papa is going to save his son's legacy? If I remember correctly, Dick Cheney was one of his biggest legacies to his son," one said. Other readers hailed the electorate's message. "The outcome appears to reflect that themajority of voters are not enamored with the far-left or far-right fringes but are focused on the broad middle of the road." Added another, "Both parties can now emphasize leading the world in solving problems, rather than ignoring them or creating new ones."

It is a grand irony that Bush I is now coming to salvage the presidency of Bush II ("The Rescue Squad," Nov. 20). Just five years ago, in the afterglow of his September 11 performance, some commentators argued for the coronation of George W. as likely one of the best presidents in U.S. history. Now his stock sinks to the level of one of the worst presidents, if not the very worst. Tragically, he's taken the country's reputation with him. Now George H.W. Bush and his insiders are working to offset egregious leadership mistakes and a profoundly bad legacy. We can be grateful for any salvaging he and his team can manage if it brings into order the messes of the son and his constellation of disastrous advisers.

Stephen J. Nelson Providence, R.I.

I am by no means a supporter of our president's policies, but I think your cover is a cheap, demeaning shot at him. The fact that George W. Bush has finally called on some seasoned diplomats and politicians does not justify using two unrelated photographs to make him look like a small boy in the background with his father looming large in front. Your cover appears at a time when our country's image has already suffered too much. I think Bush has followed a foolish course in international relations, undoing years of good will in much of the world, but we should be looking for an intelligent way out of this mess, not for childish editorial expression.

Chuck Jones Cedar Grove, Tenn.

I am a boomer and a conservative. However, when I pulled the lever for some Democrats and independents this election, I certainly was not signaling my desire to return to the policies of Bush 41 and his "Rescue Squad." It is a mistake to read the results as either a rejection of conservative values (look at the state initiatives and the moderate Democrats who were elected) or a desire to return to the ideas of Bush 41 or Newt Gingrich. Both parties need to come up with a new contract with America, setting forth our future role and recognizing that today's America and our world are very different from those of even a decade ago.

Paul Hudnut Ft. Collins, Colo.

The influx of democrats into the House and Senate was a much-needed breath of fresh air ("Behind Their Smiles"). Now issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and the war in Iraq can be debated with more equal representation on both sides of the aisle. I am proud to see Nancy Pelosi make history as the first female Speaker of the House, a reminder that women can hold important government positions. It will certainly be interesting to see how the Democratic majority interacts with President George W. Bush, but I hope that the new "blue" House will start setting our nation straight both at home and overseas. Darrian D'Olio Voorhees, N.J.

after reading "the prodigal returns," and with all the criticism President Bush has received the past few years, many people will jump at the opportunity to scrutinize him yet again. They might feel that as an adult--let alone our president--he should be able to handle his own business without running to Daddy for help. I, however, am impressed by the president's recent course of action. With an entire country watching, he has set aside his pride and admitted he could use some help. That's a plea no one should feel too proud to make. Kudos to the president.

Dani Hirsch Philadelphia, Pa.

Ironically, the one member of his father's administration whom President George W. Bush did have on his team during his first term was Colin Powell. If only he had listened to Powell's advice regarding Iraq then, he wouldn't need the rest of his father's men now to help find a way out of Iraq, and our country wouldn't be bogged down in a war we had no business starting in the first place.

Martha K. Everett Bowling Green, Ohio

Thank you for one of the most precise and accurate dissections of the midterm elections ("Out of the Gloom, a Silver Lining," Nov. 20). The death of the conservative movement can trace its onset to the 1992 GOP convention, when religious zealots hijacked the party. That's when I stopped voting Republican. The Newt Gingrich "Contract" of 1994 only tempo-rarily masked the growth of religious fundamentalism and its influence in politics. Despite the outcome of this election, religious conservatives will probably require a second decisive loss in 2008 to finally realize that the hate-filled movement they created is as dead as the morally bankrupt government they have left us.

Michael J. Harley Laguna Niguel, Calif.

Jonathan Alter's article is a little over the top, if you ask me. The era of conservatism is not over. The Democrats retook control of Congress for precisely two reasons. First, the difficulties in Iraq. And second, the Democratic Party--at least the candidates offered to the public--has moved significantly to the right. Jon Tester, Heath Shuler, Jim Webb and Bob Casey are basically moderate Republicans in Democratic clothing. The election was a vote against the president and the rubber-stamp actions of his Republican Congress. I'm a Republican who's glad the Demo-crats won, because I think it will bode well for a return to conservatism and energize Republicans to go out and vote. Constant success breeds complacency.

Stephen Wall Nashville, Tenn.

Speaking as a "dittohead," i can tell you that George W. Bush and the current Congress were never considered conservative by dittoheads. Bush spent more money than any Democrat to date. We didn't like that. He never acted on immigration. We didn't like that. He didn't get the ANWR deal done when he had a Republican House and Senate. We didn't like that. So the moral of this election is that conservatism is not dead at all--we just need to find new forces to carry the flag and not burn it.

Greg Klug Indianapolis, Ind.

I'd call myself an independent, but I've almost always voted Republican. Jonathan Alter expresses the very reason I did not vote Republican this midterm election: the Terri Schiavo case. It wasn't the war, it wasn't the economy--it was Schiavo. For Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush to interfere in this personal and private family matter, to have embroiled the nation as they did, cost the Republicans my family's two votes.

Lindy Garrard Riverview, Fla.

Today's technology is extraordinary. Laptops, BlackBerrys and iPods are a few examples of modern innovations that make our days flow a bit more smoothly. "New Flights of Fancy" (Nov. 20) illustrates another astonishing convenience. Virtual Earth 3D lets us fly through entire cities with the click of a button. Rather than looking at a colored piece of paper with lines running in every direction, we can examine a realistic depiction of a city. The topography of the earth is at our fingertips.

Alexandra Carlton via internet

Your article on the emerging abilities of Google Earth and Microsoft's Virtual Earth to let users explore cities in 3-D is fascinating. But it strikes me that this virtual navigation could be a great productivity improvement for terrorists who traditionally send out scouts to research and photograph possible targets. Scouting online would provide them safety, reduced costs and little risk of being observed looking suspicious. I hope someone has realized this possibility and is considering ways to prevent unintended consequences of this marvelous capability.

Margaret Holton Norwalk, Conn.

I was particularly moved by Tina Mihin's "Why I'll Always Wave the Flag of My Father" (My Turn, Nov. 20). I also lost my father to lung cancer this year and couldn't help but think of him. At 17 he was so eager to serve his country that he joined the merchant marine, and he went on to serve in the Army during the Korean War. He took great pride in his military service and proudly flew the American flag, reminding me and my siblings how important the efforts of our military were and are. Though we were at opposite ends of the spectrum politically, my dad and I saw eye to eye when it came to honoring our armed services and the great country we live in.

Carrie Peck Glenside, Pa.

Tina Mihin's essay was extremely poignant to me, as I had just buried my father, Melvin Warke, a WWII veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. He always flew "his" country's flag and wore a flag lapel pin. At his funeral, WWII members of his VFW post prayed over him and served as an honor guard. With the dignity and frailty of age, they saluted and folded the flag and played taps as a parting salute to a fellow soldier. My dad asked that only the words sergeant in the army be engraved on his tombstone. Flying our country's flag is the least we can do for that generation of heroes.

Melody Montgomery Danbury, Conn.

In "The Worst of Both Worlds" (Nov. 13), Robert J. Samuelson is critical of Sir Nicholas Stern's recent report urging strenuous action on global warming before it is too late. Samuelson seems to think we should reduce global warming only if it is cost-effective. He waffles between scorn for the idea of global warming and tepid proposals for its mitigation. Samuelson, like many others, has utterly failed to grasp the scale of the impending events. Try to imagine the enormous cost to infrastructure with even modest increases in sea level. Think of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, and magnify that by who knows how many thousands. Then spread the damage over many decades. Rising sea levels will be only one effect of global warming. We simply cannot afford ambivalence like Samuelson's.

Hans Ibsen Nelsen Vashon, Wash.

Robert J. Samuelson sneers at the British government's Stern report forrecommending global actions that we can't be certain will curb global warming. At its core, his argument is that global warming is too speculative to do much about. He rails against the report for lack of candor and realism without acknowledging that, in reality, global warming forces us to make enormous speculative bets whatever we do.

Jeremy Sherman Berkeley, Calif.

In "How the West is Being Won" (Nov. 20), we erred by reporting that Denver will be the site of the Democratic Party's convention in 2008. Denver and New York City are both sites under consideration, and an official decision has not been made.

In "How to Sell Plastic CD's in a Digital Era" (Periscope, Nov. 13), we said Walgreens was selling 1,000 copies a week of Olivia Newton-John's latest album. In fact, it was selling 1,000 a day. We also said that Barry Manilow's sale of 43,000 copies of his latest album on QVC put him nearly halfway to a gold record. For an album to be certified gold, it must sell 500,000, not 100,000. NEWSWEEK regrets the errors.