The American Spectator

p> IN THE THICK OF IT br> Re: Edward Sisson’s Obama in the Tank for Pritzker : /p>

Your excellent article with downloadable documents by Edward Sisson, dated 9/26/2008, on Barack Obama’s association with Penny Pritzker as his Finance Chair, needs to get mainstream media attention so more Americans know about it. The financial debt to this country is now so great with the passing of the 700 billion dollar bill, and Obama is playing the blame game.

p>Please get this out so everyone knows Obama is in the thick of it, has been and America needs to know it. Great journalism! br> — Mary G. /p> p> IN A ZONE br> Re: William Finley’s letter (under “Alaskans on Palin”) in Reader Mail’s No Questions Asked and James P. Lucier’s Alaskan Foreign Policy : /p>

In his rush to tear down James Lucier’s article “Alaskan Foreign Policy” William Finley accuses Mr. Lucier of not getting “Some keep points right.” I would suggest that Mr. Finley review his own work. In contrast to Mr. Finley’s claim, Mr. Lucier never said that the National Guard intercepted the Russian bomber; he said “US military planes scramble from Elmendorf AFB,” and “US military planes based in Alaska.” Mr. Lucier’s only reference to the National Guard was its giving the governor security briefings.

p>Similarly, the Russian bomber, contrary to Mr. Finley’s claim, did violate US airspace. Whenever an aircraft not on a properly filed and approved flight plan or without Air Traffic control clearance enters the United States’ Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) it is violating our sovereign airspace. The ADIZ is located miles beyond our coasts. Crossing the coasts or overflying the US land mass is not required before a violation has occurred. Indeed, Mr. Lucier specifically said they violated our airspace over Alaskan waters. For Mr. Finley to say “Russian jets have not actually entered US airspace” indicates a lack of understanding of the issue. br> — Paul M. DeSisto, USAF (Ret.) br> Cedar Grove, New Jersey /p> p> Mr. Lucier’s article was brilliant. His points must be pushed hard in the media in the next 30 days. Sadly, I don’t hear McCain advertising Gov. Palin’s foreign policy experience. br> — Joe Nawrocki /p>

(For today’s special Reader Mail section on J. Peter Freire’s “The Barracuda Bites Back,” click here.)