Letters: 'Why Joe Is No Joke'

October 19, 2009 issue | 'Why Joe Is No Joke'
I'm glad Joe chose a life of service to this nation. And I'm glad Obama chose Joe, especially given his foreign-policy expertise. No typical vice president here.
Noralee Bauthues Stewart Fair Oaks, Calif.

After former vice president Dick Cheney's complicity in the Bush administration's rush to war in Iraq, it has been a relief to note Joe Biden's valiant voice of sanity in pressing for force reduction in Afghanistan. The contrast between the two leaders couldn't be greater.
Tracy Leverton Vienna, Va.

I appreciate Joe Biden's standing up to our president and expressing his views. I feel more secure with Biden holding this office. Go get 'em, Joe.
Kermita Thornton Oklahoma City, Okla.

It's about time that someone spoke the truth out loud. Joe Biden's sobering question about the $65 billion that the United States will be spending on Afghanistan this year versus the $2.25 billion to be spent on Pakistan—as Al Qaeda's presence spreads there—should jolt our government. We've been paying dearly for Pakistan's "help."
Joann Lee Frank Clearwater, Fla.

'Underqualified for the Overrated'
Our president wins the Nobel Peace Prize, and you give his vice president the cover. You call his award "undeserved," and run two articles—one filled with sarcasm, the other with disrespect. Even Sen. John McCain had the professionalism to say that it was a proud day for America. Where's your balance? And where's the writer who speaks for those Americans who are proud that their president received this award, describing the reasons why he deserved it? The world appreciates President Obama. Maybe we are too deafened by the inane screaming from the right to hear.
James Park Houston, Texas

Christopher Hitchens missed the real justification for Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. Before Obama defeated the Republicans in the 2008 election, much of the world viewed a nearsighted, unilateral, and aggressive America as a significant threat to world peace; Obama's election changed that. The prize was really an award to the American electorate for preventing another four years of George W. Bush's destructive foreign policy.
Jerry R. Hobbs Marina Del Rey, Calif.

'President of Planet Earth'
Isn't it strange that those members of Congress and the right-wing media who say Obama's Nobel is unwarranted because the president hasn't achieved anything are the same ones who are purposely making sure he won't achieve anything? Obviously the Nobel Prize committee could see far beyond the barriers thrown up by the opposition. Robert Nordmeyer Tucson, Ariz.

EDITOR'S NOTE In Indignity Index (Oct. 12), we dinged Sen. Ben Nelson for saying health-care reform wouldn't be "legitimate" without a Senate supermajority. A review of the full context of his remarks shows that the senator was making a broader point about the desirability of a large majority to signal widespread support for reform. NEWSWEEK regrets the item.

CORRECTIONS In "Underqualified for the Overrated" we incorrectly said that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Stockholm. In fact, it is given in Oslo. We also said the Italian daily La Stampa is based in Rome. It's based in Turin. NEWSWEEK REGRETS the errors.