Two Candidates, Two Styles

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RE: "Does Temperament Matter?": Throughout his career, John McCain has shown himself willing to put others at risk to advance his career or his causes [Oct. 27]. Like President Bush, he is a person who shoots from the hip, invites conflict and sees compromise as a sign of weakness rather than a path to progress. His impulsiveness has been evident this fall in rash decisions such as selecting Sarah Palin and suspending his campaign. While his supporters call him a maverick, I call him reckless. And as the past eight years have shown, recklessness is not what we need in a President. We need someone with intelligence, composure, discipline and restraint.
Robert J. Inlow, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, U.S.

There is no question as to which candidate is qualified to serve this great country. McCain is ready to stand up and fight for our country and our freedom. He won't just be "present" while looking cool and working on his next book deal.
Sharon Peterson, CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MICH., U.S.

Examining leadership style gives some insight into how the candidates might govern. McCain exhibits the characteristics of a troubleshooter. This type of leader tends to deal with the here and now, is action-oriented, sees problems as separate issues and is primarily reactive. Barack Obama is more of a visionary, seeing a bigger, intertwined picture. For example, the visionary would perceive energy as an issue related to our security, the environment, our domestic economy and foreign policy. The troubleshooter, McCain, tends to approach energy by proposing immediate fixes: opening areas for drilling, now; building nuclear plants; reducing restrictions. While style is no guarantee of competence, Obama's fits the country's needs.
James A. Savage Jr., HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C., U.S.

Though many pundits accuse Obama of being too cool, I do think some of it is on purpose. Imagine being the first African American with a real shot at the job. A hotheaded, emotional approach could make many whites uncomfortable. If Obama is elected and does the job well, the next time an African American runs, he or she will be freer to act less controlled.
Diane Lake, MACHESNEY PARK, ILL., U.S.

Which candidate has Gerald Ford's fundamental decency? Both. Jimmy Carter's discipline? Obama. Ronald Reagan's sunny optimism? Obama. George H.W. Bush's diplomatic instincts? Both. Bill Clinton's intellectual curiosity? Obama. George W. Bush's dogged determination? Both. The score: Obama 6, McCain 3.
Victoria Brago, LOS ANGELES

Words Away
RE: "War of the Words" [Oct. 20]. I read with pleasure your list of archaisms that might be deleted from the dictionary. I found that some of the words listed are very similar (in sound and meaning) to Italian words that are commonly used in spoken and written language. They might not be used every day, perhaps, but they are used by intellectuals, in letters, newspapers and broadcasts. Apodeictic, muliebrity, mansuetude, even caducity, caliginosity, nitid, agrestic, roborant or vilipend have Latin or Greek roots that are very familiar to me and most high school graduates. I do not think that less used words should be deterged from the vocabulary of any spoken language. I think that we have to teach them and use them more. The use of complex words improves thought as well as our philosophical and mental universe.
Marika Borrelli, AVELLINO, ITALY

Americanness at Issue
RE: "Is He American Enough?" [Oct. 20]. The greatness of the U.S. is that it is a big melting pot of people who chose to come to that country for different reasons. Some were forced by circumstances in their own countries, some were wrenched out of their homes to serve as slaves. But all that happened years ago. One would assume that by now any form of bigotry would be completely eradicated, but no. The people who suffered persecution in Europe, Asia or Africa are now the persecutors, thereby perpetuating hate and fear. Shouldn't that kind of American wake up, realize that they live in a different world where there is no pure blood (we are all "mixes," thank God!) and mature once and for all? Maybe Barack Obama cannot change our country that much. But he might make us all more aware of the so-called brotherhood of man.
Christy Cox, CANTABRIA, SPAIN

What the World Needs Now
I appreciated Michael Kinsley's essay on the desirable leadership quality that is toxic to mention because of its allegedly élitist overtones: intelligence [Oct. 27]. I have long felt that U.S. presidential candidates, much like graduate students, should be subject to a preliminary examination in their area of expertise. Candidates should have some knowledge of, if not proficiency in, world history, religions, cultures, geography. As it is now, we assume the media and debates will ferret out deficiencies in candidates' education that might lead to serious, perhaps deadly decisions — and that is not always the case.
Marcetta Darensbourg 
 COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, U.S.

Kinsley is correct to say we need leaders brave enough to practice astringency, telling people what they don't want to hear. But his example of a leader who was great because he was astringent — Winston Churchill — never won an election through astringency. Throughout the 1930s, when he was warning of the Nazi peril, he was almost uniformly rejected as a crank. He was not elected Prime Minister in 1940; rather, he was installed by a Parliament that deferred general elections until after the war. And when one was finally held, in 1945, the British people promptly voted Churchill out of office. We need not only great leaders but also a public great enough to accept their leadership.
M.L. Cross, STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS, U.S.

Fighting TB
Your article about drug-resistant TB was excellent, and the photographs were exceptional [Oct. 13]. As James Nachtwey mentioned, this terrible disease is treatable. Yet, a caption states, "Pills are still difficult to swallow, have an unpleasant taste and must be taken daily for six months." As a nurse, I immediately see possible solutions. First, ask drug companies to change the shape of the pills or make them smaller, if they are difficult to swallow. Second, place pills that are bitter inside empty capsules — no unpleasant taste. Third, explain the critical nature of the disease in one power-packed sentence: Take these medications daily until all are gone, or you will die. If many millions of women can remember to take a birth control pill every day for years, surely those with TB can be convinced to take their medication correctly for six months.
Merri Lu Park, ABADIANIA, BRAZIL