The American Spectator

Reader Mail

It Gets Worse

2.4.05 @ 12:01AM

WRONG COOGLER
Re: R. Emmett Tyrrell's Jon Coogler Stewart:

I write with respect to this year's J. Gordon Coogler Award for the Worst Book of the Year. Although I can appreciate the merits of your ultimate selection, I find it difficult to accept that anyone but Michael Moore could win the award in any year in which Michael Moore has been published. According to Amazon.com, Will They Ever Trust Us Again, the aforementioned's latest, was published in October, 2004 -- a month after, and thus more recently, than the Jon Stewart volume.

I am not one to cry, "Fix!" but... one has one's suspicions.
-- Rufus Thompson

Great article, as usual. I read conservatives at NRO think Howard Dean will be more of the same 2004 candidate Dean as DNC chairman. Having just reread your article on Dean from early January, I am looking forward to your thoughts about this subject. If Dean is a closet Clintonista, your position that he is not as hard left as he seems rings true. The Clintons certainly won't run as hard left as the 2004 Democrats did. I emailed your article to the NRO editors in response to their article from yesterday detailing how lousy Dean will be as DNC chairman, and suggested they should interview you in light of your personal knowledge of the man. Not trying to start any squabbles (seriously), but I think that would be an interesting Q & A.

Anyway, look forward to your thoughts on this in future articles.
-- Lee Wheeler

As a long time reader, I just wanted to comment on this year's Coogler winner. I read it, thought it was funny and seemed to poke equal fun at both parties and was just basically smart-aleck. Great? No, but there had to have been worse books (Joe Wilson's liefest? Richard Clarke? Will they ever trust us again?) amongst the deluge of anti-Bush books this year. Just a thought. As a side note, I introduced myself to you at Bill Buckley's appearance at the B&N in Georgetown last March while you were holding court in the cafe after the event. Keep up the good work.
-- Rick Hiteshew

SMART MOVES
Re: George Neumayr's Democrats in Bush's Shadow:

Mr. Neumayr wonders if Harry Reid, in his reference to Groundhog Day, has seen the movie. Listening to both Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi I would lean more toward the movie Dumb and Dumber. Both their speeches last night just illustrates how out of touch these people are with reality. Their main purpose on the job is to criticize the current administration. We can do much better than these two. I think people are so tired of rhetoric that doesn't amount to anything more than whining.
-- Jane McNair
Connecticut

Seems to me that much progress could be made toward balancing the budget if pork-barrel "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine" spending was eliminated, earmarked edicts to agencies were curtailed, and giveaway social programs were carefully scrutinized. A simple reading of the federal budget allocations easily shows some of the obscure, needless things that are funded. Give the president line item veto authority!
-- Gary Johnson Madison, Alabama

ONE SPEECH
Re: John Tabin's Three Speeches:

Well done! Moving overview of speech last night.
-- Sam Phillips

John and I must have watched two different speeches. I agree on one and two, but three, rather than a "laundry list," both my wife and I viewed it as a repeat of his campaign promises. When are you pundits and publishers going to get the fact that with this president you get what you see. He says what he means and means what he says - period! And that is what is resonating with us.
-- Jim LariaClermont, Florida

ONE SPEECH
Re: Shawn Macomber's Apocalypse Now:

Excellent work by Mr. Macomber. He has been active in canvassing the news and the portents are disturbing. But, as disturbing as a Russia-Iranian nuclear club might be, there are far more worrisome activities being undertaken by the Bear of the North.

It seems that the U.S. media has completely missed the current Sino-Russian Friendship pact that Russia entered into with China in 2001. Though ostensibly an "understanding" between the two countries to oppose the US anti-ballistic missile development program, since then there has been a significant amount of sophisticated Russian military sales to China. These include SU-27 and SU-30 fighters and the "Sunburn" supersonic anti-ship missile. In addition to these munitions sales, the two Asian powers have held joint military exercises.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Federal Budget, Books, Constitution, Law, Military, Iran, Russia, North Korea