The Fall Campaign: How Low Will It Go?

"The O Team": Readers commented on how Barack Obama's campaign team has resisted getting down and dirty. One said, "I hope Republicans will rise to meet Obama, instead of dragging him down to them." And another posited, "We have yet to see the nastiness, the vile thing we call a 'campaign'." Some charged us with "blatant favoritism," but one said, "NEWSWEEK did Obama no favor. Both parties will resort to spirited, pointed attacks this fall, as they should; the key difference between the likely nominees is that John McCain's seen and withstood far worse in his life."

Looking at Team Obama
As a former naval officer and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, I have great respect for Sen. John McCain. However, I am an ardent supporter of Sen. Barack Obama. That said, I am appalled by the political bias of "Sit Back, Relax, Get Ready to Rumble" (May 19) on Obama's campaign strategy. Republicans, and increasingly moderates, contend that the press in the United States clearly and fervently favors the left and the Democrats (with the exception of News Corp.—which has the opposite problem). Not only have you proved conservatives correct, but what I find even more disconcerting is the inevitable backlash against Senator Obama and the more compassionate and pragmatic agenda he would bring to the White House.
Chip Walz
Jersey City, N.J.

I was very disappointed in your fawning cover story on Obama's campaign team. Somehow you forgot to mention that Obama walks on water and heals the sick with his touch. Otherwise it was a very balanced piece, along the lines of The New York Times's suggestion of McCain's romantic relationship with a lobbyist. You can do better. If not, then you need to just openly join Obama's campaign and stop passing yourself off as a newsmagazine.
Richard Blackburn
Princeton, Ind.

The subhead of your cover story reads, in part: "How Obama and his team will battle the GOP onslaught." That sums up the disgust of so many voters with the political season. We all know it won't be pretty. There have been too many political casualties over the past eight years to think this year will be any different. Both parties are guilty, but the GOP has refined "hate politics" to the highest level with its mantra of "winning at all costs"—just ask John McCain who was its victim in 2000.
Bill Lewis
Austin, Texas

Newt Gingrich's advice to Barack Obama ("Dear Senator Obama ...") was laughable. In citing Ronald Reagan's "bold agenda" he lauds the clarity of promising a three-year, 30 percent tax cut and strengthening the military, but forgets a third promise: a balanced budget. Reagan left office with one of the biggest deficits in history. Gingrich goes on to pat himself on the back for the "Contract With America," recalling its main points except one that never came up for a vote in the Republican-controlled Congress: term limits. My advice to Senator Obama is not to promise what you have no intention of fulfilling.
Jim Welch
Granton, Wis.

Heart-Wrenching Devastation
I am crying as I write this. Will Baxter's photo of the lifeless child floating on the Pyapon River is heart-wrenching ("A Curse From the Heavens," May 19). I cannot imagine the anguish and heartache that child's family must be feeling, that is, if they survived. My initial reason for writing was to express anger: anger for sharing such an awful photo with the world. However, I must thank Will Baxter, not chastise him. My own small children have received numerous additional hugs and extra moments to snuggle. I've long reflected on being blessed to have my children, and realize my initial anger was due to the sheer ambiguity of the cyclone's path. I mourn for that child, but in doing so I am also more mindful of the value of life.
Sunday Conine
Thurman, N.Y.