Letters

White House Confidential

Former treasury secretary Paul O'Neill's revelations about the inner workings of the Bush White House were amusing but little else [Jan. 19]. O'Neill never quite fit in. As your article allowed, O'Neill took antibusiness positions at times. The Bush Administration makes no bones about supporting corporations in its aim to create more wealth for Americans. George W. Bush has been remarkably steady when it comes to economic policy. It is O'Neill who bucked the trend, riling Wall Street and precipitating his own demise. There is no broken decision-making process in the White House. O'Neill can blame only himself for being fired.
JASON C. REEHER
Grove City, Pa.

History will show that O'Neill is a true American hero. Kudos to him for having the integrity to expose the appallingly arrogant apathy of the Bush Administration toward not only the environment, seniors, education, the middle class and veterans but his advisers and counselors as well. Bush's father, a veteran as am I, must surely see the blatant hypocrisy rampant in his son's Administration. It is obvious to me that this apple fell a long way from the tree.
MARTIN DREITZER
Las Vegas

Where the Towers Stood

I congratulate architect Michael Arad on the utterly tasteful design for the World Trade Center memorial [Jan. 19]. Some critics declared it "uninspiring." It's hard to find the right inspiration if you are enraged. Whatever is built on ground zero will convey a message. Arad's design, Reflecting Absence, simply says, "We are sad." It will make people think about what happened on 9/11.
DANIEL PLATZER
Finkenberg, Austria

Your critic wrote that making progress in the restoration of ground zero is a good thing, "but rushing the memorial is another matter." I don't understand how anyone can say the rebuilding at ground zero has been rushed in any way. Whether one speaks of new office buildings or the 9/11 memorial, the fact is, the site has been a ruin for more than two years. I think it's a disgrace that in 2004 ground zero is still just a hole in the ground.
JIRI KRTEN
New Milford, Conn.

Quite apart from the merits of the planned replacement for the Twin Towers, we have a significant opportunity to make a statement to the world and those who hate the West and want to destroy us. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were iconic in ways that no other buildings in the world were. Their replacement, whatever its design, should be another set of Twin Towers that will say to the whole globe, "We continue."
C. ALEXANDER BROWN
Ottawa

The Death of Princess Di

You noted that the British have launched a coroner's inquest into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed [Jan. 19]. The moment I heard about the accident in 1997, I thought someone had ordered Diana killed. To this day, I have serious doubts that the car crash was an accident. While I ponder the unlikelihood of the British royal family doing something that stupid, I see the possibility of someone very loyal to the royals acting without their knowledge. I don't believe we will ever know the truth. There will never be closure — just endless theories, as with the assassination of President Kennedy.
LAURA DI JORIO
Indianapolis, Ind.