Learning More About a Private Lady

McCain ' s Oversight at Boeing
In "McCain's Boeing Battle Boomerangs" (PERISCOPE, June 30), disgruntled Air Force officials were allowed to hide behind the rough-and-tumble of the presidential election in order to rehash their smear of Sen. John McCain's oversight efforts on the Boeing tanker lease. As an organization working to expose the corruption of the tanker deal at the time, we are well aware of how bad that deal was. Due to McCain's willingness to put the enormous time and effort it took to expose the corruption, two people were sent to jail, the CEO was forced to resign and the deal was scuttled. The Air Force had drafted the solicitation so narrowly that without McCain's intervention, there would not have been genuine competition, and only Boeing could have won it. To be sure, it is very disappointing that the McCain campaign didn't prevent its people from later becoming lobbyists for Boeing's competition. However, that shouldn't tarnish his good work. If such stories dampen any willingness on the part of the Congress to conduct the often thankless work of oversight, the real loser here will be the taxpayer.
Danielle Brian, Executive Director
Project on Government Oversight
Washington, D.C.

Gay Students at Christian Colleges
Thank you for writing about gay-straight groups at campuses of faith in America ("Joining the 'Out' Club," June 16). This topic needs addressing, and to be mentioned in NEWSWEEK is an amazing blessing. However, I'd like to correct two points. You wrote that Bethel University's gay-straight alliance doesn't have a room in which to meet; in fact, the Anthropology and Sociology Department is letting us use the lounge in a private area in its building as a meeting place this year. And our group does have a name. We are called the Bethel Gay Straight Alliance.
Amanda Lillie
St. Paul, Minn.

Correction
In "In Search of Cindy McCain" we referred to her son Jack, who is at the U.S. Naval Academy, as a cadet. In fact, he is a midshipman. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.

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