Obama on the Offensive

Despite what the naysayers tell us about Senator Barack Obama's supposed inexperience, he is what this country needs after seven years of outrageous mismanagement by the grossly incompetent incumbent [Dec. 10]. In my native land, the pessimists said Corazon Aquino and her lack of experience didn't stand a chance against President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. History proved them wrong. A unifying figure like Aquino, without the usual political baggage that accompanies experience, was what the Philippines needed at the time. Obama presents himself as a conciliatory figure whose crossover appeal can help bridge the gap between blue and red staters. He is a much needed breath of fresh air in the musty corridors of power. As John F. Kennedy said, it is time for the torch to be passed on to a new generation. Let Obama be that torchbearer. He will put this nation back on the right track and make us proud to be citizens of the world once again.
Cheers Echevarria-Leary, PINOLE, CALIF., U.S.

Like me, my eightysomething mother, a politically savvy liberal who has loved Oprah Winfrey for years, is deeply disappointed by Winfrey's support for Obama. Yes, we have to consider that there are men who will vote for anyone but a woman, and especially anyone but Hillary Clinton. But for "O" to support Obama, who's vastly less experienced than Clinton, makes Oprah's decision seem divisive, racist and against the best interests of the country as a whole. This next presidential vote cannot be about color or sex. It's got to be about qualifications. Her choice is an example of reverse racism, a subject white people feel too guilty to discuss.
Susan Mather, SAN FRANCISCO

I would like to see an article that omits the candidates' faces and party affiliations and lists only their names and their stances on important issues. It embarrasses me to be an American when fellow citizens vote on the basis of celebrity endorsements, sex and race. I think we need to look at the real issues of Iraq, immigration, education, poverty, health care, national security, maintenance of our roads and bridges, English as our national language, etc. I want to know how these issues would be handled. Then I will make my decision.
Suzanne Caravella, EAST WINDSOR, N.J., U.S.

I am 75 years old, and my husband is 80. We have an annual income considerably less than $50,000. We no longer have children to raise or educate, our medical insurance is adequate, and we take advantage of the elderly tax credit. Obama has proposed eliminating income taxes for senior citizens at our income level, but why should we not be expected to pay our fair share of federal taxes? I surely hope that he does not believe our votes are for sale.
Patricia Gershon, LAVERNE, CALIF., U.S.

Caught Between Color Lines
In "The Identity Card," Shelby Steele offered an insightful, thought-provoking examination of race in politics [Dec. 10]. I have a couple of questions, though. What exactly are black values vs. white values? What white shame does he believe binds my actions? He stated that "racist societies make race into a hard fate," yet he perpetuated racist beliefs in his article. Each individual is a cornucopia of various physical and behavioral traits. No single trait, most certainly not the pigment in one's skin, remotely defines any of us. If we want to end racism, let us end the practice of using accepted but clearly racist words to define individuals. The truth will set us free; let's open our eyes to that truth.
John Conlin, LITTLETON, COLO., U.S.

It may be simplistic to think that whites are desperately wanting blacks to give them approval for their "enlightened" racial views. As someone who for the past 20 years has spent time in black neighborhoods doing everything from feeding the homeless to tutoring students in college math, I am painfully aware that many blacks are themselves racist. Many of those I know think that discrimination against whites is a mark of racial solidarity rather than a prejudice to be minimized and eventually abandoned. So I'm doing what I do because I was poor once myself, and I know how the soul of many can be impoverished by being poor. Personal approval is only a rare bit of icing on the cake. Most likely, Steele has a few masks of his own that become apparent only by reading between the lines of his article.
Frank Kizer, BARTLETT, TENN., U.S.