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Readers of our Nov. 7 cover story found troubling the charges brought against Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. One said, "Is the American public expected to believe that an elaborate manipulation of the truth was solely under the control of an underling who acted alone in the name of national security?" Another wrote: "Our own government leaked an operative's name to the press, endangering her, her family and those she worked with. No stone should be left unturned until those in the Bush administration responsible are held accountable." Others took the media to task for their role in the CIA leak case: "In this country we depend on the press to shed light in the dark places of power, not become complicit participants." But one teacher wrote: "I am grateful that there are organizations that [reveal] what is wrong with America's leadership. An informed voting public can do its part to make things right."
NEWSWEEK discharged its responsibility admirably by featuring Vice President Dick Cheney and his former chief of staff, I. Lewis (Scooter) Libby, on its Nov. 7 cover ("Cheney's Man"). An indictment of an influential vice presidential adviser is clearly the major story of the week. Unfortunately, this story pushed the death of Rosa Parks to the margins. After all, Parks, a private citizen, led America forward into a better and more just future. By contrast, Cheney and Libby, at the very least, misled us, abused the public's trust and damaged our country in doing so.
Bernard Freydberg
Read More on News
Slippery Rock, Pa.
Lewis Libby was indicted by a federal grand jury, charged with perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements. Commenting on Libby's subsequent resignation, both President Bush and Vice President Cheney noted that "under our system, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty." Does that apply, I wonder, to the prisoners held for more than three years, without being charged, in the American detention facility at Guantanamo Bay? Or to the detainees held by the U.S. Army in Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq? I am glad to see the president and vice president's sudden appreciation for due process. Let's apply it across the board, not just to high-ranking government officials.
Jason S. Rogers
Dutch Harbor, Alaska
Regardless of the special prosecutor's intention, he has relit the fire surrounding the question of why this administration chose to invade Iraq. Now, not only do the news media have an opportunity to exonerate themselves for not questioning the invasion more seriously in the beginning, they have an obligation to fan the flames of truth until all lies have been smoked out and the air is cleared for the American people.
Robert E. Dunlap
Kokomo, Ind.
One need not read far into the splendid article on Scooter Libby to understand finally the remarkable blunders of this administration. If it is true that in outing Valerie Plame Wilson, "it is much more likely they believed that they were somehow safeguarding the republic," the extent of the hubris in this White House is clear. I realize that the administration may not be full of boldfaced liars, as I had believed. Rather, these men are apparently so sure of themselves and their mission that facts need not get in the way.
Mark Cline
Chaska, Minn.
It is true the Bush administration took us to war without ringing debate and then got rid of anyone who dared oppose it. But Jonathan Alter ("The Price of Loyalty") does not implicate the true culprit in this sad occurrence: the American people. Who, after all, re-elected Bush in an open and fair election? Who allowed our Congress to easily allow Bush to wield the power to go to war (despite fierce global opposition and evidence by the U.N. team that no smoking gun could be found)? We Americans must pay for our blindness and our inability to weigh the facts. The cost is lost lives, fallen world prestige, a rising debt and a more dangerous world. This is the price of our loyalty.
Rian Davis
via internet
Jonathan Alter wants desperately for the Libby affair to be about the war, but wishing doesn't make it so. It does make for bad journalism. I don't believe that what Libby did was even against the law. Proceeding with an investigation and then indicting a person on misleading or false statements during that investigation seems wrong. Despite Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's claim that all Americans were damaged by the identification of Valerie Plame, I am unable to see what that damage might have been. Running all his ideas through an antiwar filter doesn't give Alter the intellectual or moral high ground in an argument--even though he seems convinced it does.
John C.T. Green
Redwood City, Calif.
It is amazing to me that we have a president for whom "the price of loyalty is incompetence. Issues don't get aired; downside risks remain unassessed." I am reminded of the remarks by John F. Kennedy on the 20th anniversary of the Voice of America (Feb. 26, 1962): "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." This president not only tries to keep from citizens dangerous views, but he will not even tolerate their discussion within his inner circle. That is extremely frightening and bodes ill for the future of America.
Marc Eisen
Monroe Township, N.J.
Thank goodness for people like Jonathan Alter, who probe into issues of such importance to our country. His story about the Schroeder family, who lost their son Augie in Iraq, brought tears to my eyes. I can almost imagine the pain they are feeling after reading the poignant words of Paul Schroeder about his son's wasted death. Alter went on to summarize all the things that have gone wrong in our country since September 11. It was one of the best synopses of the failures of the administration that I have read in a long while. If it weren't for journalists like Alter, we would not be able to discern the truth.
Joan A. Peterson
Duluth, Minn.
Edward (Augie) Schroeder did not die in vain. He and the 2,000-plus soldiers who died with him have loudly proclaimed that the emperor has no clothes. The Bush presidency is both a travesty and an embarrassment. Thank you, Jonathan Alter, for consistently leading us to the truth: it is about the war--the war that never should have been; the war that was engaged in under false pretenses; the war that has killed some of America's finest and most courageous young people; the war that has disrupted the culture, well-being and sanity of Iraq; the war that has done more to exacerbate the threat of global terrorism than 9/11, and the war that has forever damaged America's credibility. Bush's bad week was a good week for us--finally, the incompetence, ineptitude and, now, alleged criminality have been exposed. Will Americans respond or will we settle back, beer in hand, and enjoy the remainder of the NFL season or some other such inanity?
William R. Lenters
Rockford, Ill.
With friends fighting in Iraq and a dear friend killed in the plane that crashed in Shanksville, Pa., on 9/11, my view is that the Bush administration is correct in trying to change the Middle East dramatically. It may not work, but it is noble to try and worth doing so. If the next terrorist attack costs hundreds of thousands of lives, which is entirely possible, we want to take large steps to reduce our risks by fighting abroad and not in the United States. When a president chooses war, there are always naysayers, and they may be correct. Alter applauds the naysayers, but he does not give enough context. The Vietnam War cost 50,000-plus lives. I'm hoping and betting that Bush will be seen like Reagan, as someone exhibiting bold and strong leadership in the face of criticism.
John K. Sheranek
Richmond, Va.
The "Truth About Torture" (Nov. 7) is that, as long as Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon are permitted to investigate and exonerate themselves, America will never know the truth. Acting on our behalf, George W. Bush and his neocon cronies have made torture of detainees an instrument of national policy. Collectively, we all bear the responsibility. Kudos to John McCain and other Senate Republicans for moving to rein in our rogue administration. Perhaps they can join with the Democrats and initiate a long-overdue independent investigation of this appalling matter. I salute Capt. Ian Fishback for his courage in standing up to a corrupt chain of command. Alas, Lynndie England, not Fishback, is the face on the poster for Bush's war.
Robert J. Sunde Jr.
Rio Rancho, N.M.
Thank you for publishing the "Truth About Torture" story. What is at stake here is nothing short of our national soul. The image of the United States has been stained severely by the stories and photos of detainee abuse coming out of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. One of the very few voices of reason in Washington belongs to John McCain, and he has unique credibility on this issue given his time as a POW of the North Vietnamese.
John Lodal
Boise, Idaho
George F. Will blames injuries and death from football on free substitution and the 300-pound players it spawns (" 'Eleven Men and Sic 'Em'," Nov. 7). But momentum in conflict, not mass alone, is what causes injuries. Momentum is mass times velocity. In the few seconds that a football play lasts, a 300-pounder cannot accelerate to the velocity that a 200-pounder can. So let's put the blame where it belongs: on encouraging deliberate, high-speed collisions between people in the name of competitive sports. That's what football is: our version of the gladiators. It puts joints at severe peril, of course, but risks heads, necks and torsos, too. The latest evidence that padding cannot undo momentum is an epidemic of hernias that now plagues football.
R. Pyke
New Fairfield, Conn.
We might as well call football Sumo-ball and admit that it is wrestling on a large mat with 22 wrestlers struggling at the same time. This is supposed to be a sport where players compete for healthy exercise and the pleasure of playing a good game. Today, for some, it has become a death sentence, with so many competitors trying to literally injure and maim the other players. Is this how we really want our children to learn about life?
Clint Jones
Squim, Wash.
Reading "No Kitchen, Water Views" (Nov. 7), on life living aboard a boat, one would think that the lifestyle my husband and I have enjoyed for four years now is one designed for down-and-out party animals who spend their last bucks on beer and cheap rent. The obligatory quote referring to the "decent folks" did little to offset the damaging image of the accompanying photo of the floating tiki bar. The truth is that those of us who have chosen to live aboard are part of a community that in many ways is as normal as your own cul-de-sac. We have yard sales (of boat equipment we no longer need or use), celebrate milestones, watch over our less-able neighbors, plant container gardens and decorate our homes for the holidays. We have jobs, contribute to the economy and, yes, even pay taxes. Our vessels cost as much as many homes, and we pay the same utilities as any "dirt dweller." We even read NEWSWEEK. This lifestyle serves a wide cross section of people (as your article notes, our numbers are growing). Your author's observation that rents are being increased disproportionately and that municipalities and facilities are singling out live-aboards for elimination is indeed correct. It is just one more overreaction to the minority who are more visible, thanks to articles and photos like yours.
Kathleen Barth
Baltimore, Md.
Your article on preparing pets for disaster was excellent ("Pets: Prepared for the Next Disaster," Periscope, Nov. 7). However, the best protection owners can provide for their pets in case of inadvertent separation due to disaster or accident is a microchip. The chip, no bigger than a grain of rice, is injected under the skin of the animal between the shoulder blades. No anesthesia is necessary. Animal shelters and rescue organizations routinely scan found animals for chips. Collars and tags can come off; microchips are permanent. It saddens me to think how many pets lost during the hurricanes might have been reunited with their grieving families if only they'd had microchips.
Vicky Crosetti, Executive Director
Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley
Knoxville, Tenn.
In the same week that the country honored the legacy of Rosa Parks, it was especially disturbing to see the smiling Gaede twins wearing happy-face-Hitler shirts in your Periscope section ("Race: The White Album," Nov. 7). Did these youngsters actually believe that their white-supremacist music act would make them popular superstars? Well, girls, it's time to grow up. If you continue to send out a message of hate, you're choosing to live with your tears and isolation.
Judy Nollet
Eagan, Minn.
So Lamb and Lynx Gaede were in tears? Good. May they weep as much as Anne Frank, another white girl, was forced to weep by the man whose "smiley" face is on the Gaedes' T shirts. May they remember, for the rest of their lives, how many patriotic Americans, like both of my parents and three of my uncles, spent years (along with their blood, sweat and tears) to defeat the philosophy and the war machine of the Aryan supremacists whom these children glorify. And where are the parents of these children? Freedom of expression is fine, but no child should be given license to publicly glorify a mass murderer. Lest anyone forget: Hitler had millions of people killed. Most of the dead were white people. None had done anything wrong. It is appalling that parents could allow their children to express publicly such a sick and twisted point of view. My white lips continue to curl in disgust.
Daniel McKay Taylor
via internet
While I certainly do not condone the lyrics to "Aryan Man Awake," I can't help wondering why Lamb and Lynx Gaede were run into hiding while an entire cadre of black rap stars make millions venting their hatred against white people and spewing out vitriolic phrases against women. Where's the cry against those racial insults that blast from the CD players of our nation's youth?
Pat Sturm
Weatherford, Okla.
An article about cosmetic surgery ("Liposuction: Going Micro," Tip Sheet, Nov. 7) should not come under the heading of "Health." As a health teacher at an all-girls school, I work every day to share knowledge and behaviors that will allow my students to make good decisions for their bodies and minds. My curriculum includes balanced eating, active lifestyles and reasonable expectations regarding the diversity of healthy weights and shapes out there. It does not include a unit on paying thousands of dollars to change genetically inherited "cherub" cheeks. If NEWSWEEK chooses to print articles about people with low body esteem paying to fight natural diversity, please don't bill it as healthy.
Kim Leslie
Mill Valley, Calif.
In "A Legend's Soul is Rested" (Nov. 7), a caption accompanying a mug shot of Rosa Parks was erroneously dated 1955. The photo was taken in 1956. NEWSWEEK regrets the error.
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