Letters

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> In arguing that Bush's foreign policy is strategic rather than tactical, Klein misses an important point. Bush seems to rely on one factor: force. If the President's foreign policy were a novel, it would be titled America Uber Alles: Might Makes Right. Bush treats our allies with the same contempt and coercion that he uses on our adversaries. His worst failing may be that to garner domestic support, he has bypassed patriotism and resurrected nationalism. Our government has gone back to the bumper-sticker mentality of MY COUNTRY, RIGHT OR WRONG. But being a bully is not a viable strategy.
LAWRENCE J. RYAN
Eugene, Ore.

Klein's Essay illustrated Einstein's famous saying that imagination is more important than knowledge. Bush claimed that he would have done something if he had known exactly when and where al-Qaeda would strike. The statement makes plain the Administration's failure to appreciate that the mishandling of the threat from al-Qaeda was not a failure of intelligence but a failure of imagination.
MICHAEL H. WEISS
Marina del Rey, Calif.

Briefing the President

After reading about the recently declassified Presidential Daily Brief of Aug. 6, 2001, titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" [April 19], I found it difficult to accept Bush's view that the memo contained no indication of a terrorist threat or a time and place of attack. The brief stated that there were "patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks" and that "a group of Bin Ladin supporters was in the US planning attacks with explosives." How much more detailed did the memo have to be?
BEN ADAMS
Los Angeles

Hindsight is always 20/20, and unless we elect a President with ESP, there will always be mistakes to learn from.
ORLANDO ASHAH JR.
Bridgeport, Conn.

Of War and Taxes

Andrew Sullivan's proposal for an added $1-a-gallon gas tax to pay for the war in Iraq was insightful and timely [April 19]. A majority of Americans initially backed the war, and it is appalling to watch that support vanish as people are asked to do more than place flags on their SUVs. Keeping the gas tax at its current level only serves to enrich OPEC nations at the expense of the U.S. The heads of Ford and General Motors have already voiced support for an increased gasoline tax. It's time for the rest of America to join them.
NEAL GORDON
Los Altos, Calif.

Tax gas? Or simply a way to tax the poor some more? While Sullivan's proposal sounds admirable because it aims to discourage Americans from buying gas-guzzling SUVs and would help pay for the war, it is nothing more than another effort to shift the tax burden to the poor and middle class.
RALPH LANNI
Princeton, N.J.

Before we go hunting for other taxes to levy, why don't we go after corporations and make sure they pay their fair share of what they owe?
ANITA G. IMMELE
Carrollton, Ga.

Slow and Steady

It was at once sad and edifying to read that British navy mascot Timothy the Tortoise died in Britain at age 160 [April 19]. Despite wars, ethnic and religious strife, environmental destruction and the ongoing extinction of wildlife species, Timothy was a fortunate tortoise who endured and endeared during a monumentally long existence.
BRIEN COMERFORD
Glenview, Ill.

Very Special Delivery

Re your report "Too Posh To Push," about the increase in scheduled Csections [April 19]: Are women seeking caesarean births because they are worried only about fitting their babies into their schedules? Hardly. Your story noted some risks of natural childbirth (pelvic-floor damage and incontinence) but focused primarily on nonmedical reasons for C-sections. Most men, however, would not volunteer to spend the next 40 years with bladder and bowel problems. Why should women? More time needs to be spent on women's health issues and less on preserving low surgical birth rates and saving money.
KARI ZANGERLE
Phoenix, Ariz.

Pregnancy and childbirth are not diseases; they are just the beginning of a long and demanding but rewarding adventure. Nothing in your kid's life will be predictable. If you're not willing to wait for your baby to be delivered naturally instead of by C-section, you're not ready to be a mother. You won't be able to schedule your life after the baby is born.
CHANTAL ROUDIER
Marseilles

Expectant moms should be prepared to give birth naturally and as happily as possible. I do not understand mothers who want C-sections and completely refuse to suffer to deliver their children. You cannot effortlessly take a baby out of the mother's womb in the blink of an eye like a magician. These women want their comfort, but do they care about what their babies feel? A baby can take an active part in birth when labor starts naturally. Of course, pain relief and Csections are useful and necessary in some cases. I am firmly in favor of providing women with more information about all aspects of labor and delivery.
ANNE MARENGHI
Les Breviaires, France