A President In Isolation

In the run-up to the midterm congressional elections, we reported how President Bush's dogged insistence on sticking to his guns had left him a lone rider. Readers argued over whether Bush is an embattled hero in a white hat and whether he and the nation need to change horses

time's cover headline referring to President George W. Bush as "The Lone Ranger" [Nov. 6] was like calling Donald Rumsfeld Mahatma Gandhi. Don't you know your pop-culture history? The Lone Ranger was a gallant man who helped people in distress. He then rode away, not waiting for accolades. The only thing Bush has in common with the Lone Ranger is that he is from Texas.
R. Lee Lawrence
Los Angeles

I could accept that President Bush is, as you put it on the cover, "faltering in Iraq," "out of favor with his own party" and "increasingly isolated." But to refer to "the world he's created" was just too much. The present state of affairs was created by the terrorists of 9/11, not the President.
George R. Ours
Petersburg, West Virginia, U.S.

Like a coach using an old playbook, Bush has shown how mediocrity can take hold when an agenda begins to get stale. The elections were a clear referendum on his leadership. He seemed to ignore criticism and was ineffective in achieving any of his goals, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Republican Party paid the price on Election Day.
Jethro Singer
Santa Monica, California, U.S.

Bush's political isolation is not his fault. The central challenge in dealing with militant Islam has always been the tentative resolve of most Western nations to defend their interests and values. Those countries are unwilling, unable or — increasingly — afraid to do so. Europe, in particular, just sits on the fence and snipes while watching the U.S. take a stand. Real friends would be there to help, advise, plan and even make sacrifices on behalf of a shared destiny. These fair-weather friends actually seem to want him to fail. What would they do if they got their wish?
Garth Klatt
Calgary, Canada

It was a pity to see Bush punished at the polls for his policies over the past few years. I think the U.S. has done the best it could in dealing with a world of escalating dangers created by political extremists and terrorists. Why must the U.S. play global watchdog? Because it is the only nation with the power to do so, it is thereby obligated to. Rogue states and Islamic militants need to be counterbalanced by a big bulldog like the Bush Administration.
Paul de Villiers
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

I admire a leader like President Bush, who stands up for what he believes, regardless of the effect it has on his popular support. I believe that World War II would never have taken place had there been leaders like Bush around to stop Hitler in his tracks.
Bob Buckley
Benoni, South Africa

As Americans finally awake from nearly six years of misrule, we are recoiling at the damage done to our institutions, the rest of the world and our future. Let's hope this election marks the first step in repairing that damage — or at least checking the power of those who would inflict more.
Brad Jarvis
Arvada, Colorado, U.S.

Throughout history, great men with vision and courage have stood alone in the face of political opposition. Hurrah for the Lone Ranger!
John Wiedersatz
Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.

Bigotry As Comedy
Joel Stein's story on comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's movie Borat stated that "Any normal person over 35 is going to find [Baron Cohen's character] Borat horrifying" [Nov. 6]. I disagree; I'm 37, and although I thought the film was as vulgar and far removed from political correctness as you can get, I was not horrified. It is an absolutely brilliant satirical look at global prejudice and unquestionably the funniest movie in years. I seriously doubt you have to be under or over a certain age to know a sharp work of satire or pure comic genius when you see one.
Shawn Fitzgerald
Melrose, Massachusetts, U.S.

Baron Cohen criticizes all the things Borat pretends to admire and uses Borat's faked attitudes and stories to reveal the hidden resentments within the people he encounters. As a Jew, Baron Cohen carries Borat's anti-Semitism to the extreme, thus making a laughingstock of it while also revealing the bigotry of the unsuspecting people he is fooling. Borat's imaginary Kazakhstan serves the same purpose. He is making fun not of Kazakhs but of arrogant, ignorant Westerners who overrate their own cultures.
Dominik Mauer
Augsburg, Germany

The Measure of a Nation
Your story "America by the numbers" [Nov. 6] was an interesting and thought-provoking way to commemorate the U.S. population's reaching 300 million. But I was struck by the comparison of the map illustrating the Electoral College votes in the 2004 presidential election and the "purple" map showing how people actually voted by county. When I look at those maps, there's little wonder why voter turnout in U.S. elections is embarrassingly low. Why bother to vote when a simple majority is all that is needed for an entire state's Electoral College votes to go to one candidate? The U.S. is busy spreading democracy overseas yet has one of the least democratic electoral systems in the developed world.
Jeremy Greenbrook-Held
Wellington, New Zealand

Your special report cited research describing Americans' religious beliefs. While it is bound to be difficult to construct a questionnaire that neatly pigeonholes people's religious faith, the viewpoints representing "How Americans See God" — which included an "Authoritarian God" and a "Benevolent God" — were simplistic and incomplete. Is God authoritarian or benevolent? According to the Bible, he is both. The way people view God may be an interesting sociological study, but those views do not define who God is.
Hollie Harmon
Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.