America Welcomes A New President

Your Nov. 17 issue is one of the best examples of news reporting I have ever read. The inside details of the long presidential campaign is exactly the type of in-depth journalism I seek with respect to national news yet rarely find. Congratulations from a regular reader on an exceptional issue.
Ken Wager
Via Internet

We do well to get several things straight about the election of Barack Obama. First, this election was not a referendum on his liberal policies. Swing voters did not vote for him because of his position on abortion, stem-cell research or civil rights. Instead, they voted for him for several reasons: his personality (he is articulate and charismatic) and his campaign (he raised tons of money and had a much better strategy than John McCain). But the financial crisis "heard 'round the world" that erupted six to eight weeks before the election was the primary reason that fueled his numbers. (Things in the Senate and House might have been different had the financial collapse waited until after the election.) Voters chose Obama because McCain's entire campaign was erratic and ineffective. They voted for him because it was so very easy to convince America that George W. Bush was the problem. None of this should lead anybody to conclude that Americans are now more liberal than they were. Obama would do very well to remember this as he governs. I, for one, hope he does.
David Webb
Hobart, Ind.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the magnificent coverage of the election process over the past 20 months, and especially for the Nov. 17 issue summing it all up. I am archiving this copy for my great-grandchildren (if I ever have any) and for their future generations.
Frederica Anderson
Schenectady, N.Y.

The majority has spoken. America must move forward. Let us pray that our president will surround himself with the best of counsel and lead us responsibly, judiciously and honorably without prejudice or partisanship.
H. Gordon Havens
Independence, Mo.

© 2008