Letters

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In "The Secrets Of Reagan's Success" [June 14], columnist Joe Klein was mistaken when he wrote that Reagan "never paid much more than lip service to the right-to-life movement." Reagan instituted the Mexico City policy, which prohibited foreign nongovernmental organizations that received U.S. funds from providing abortion, abortion-counseling referrals or related services and reversed the U.S. commitment to international family planning. Moreover, he cut off funding for fetal-tissue research because his supporters didn't approve of medical science using aborted fetuses. The irony is that such research might well have led to a cure for Alzheimer's disease had he let it go forward.
JANET BRAZILL
Colorado Springs, Colo.

Klein stated that "Reagan was a champion of the religious right, but rarely attended church." It was apparent to me that Reagan had a firm grounding in religious or spiritual faith. He had a relationship with God in his own way, and whether he attended church doesn't matter. America and the world were blessed to be granted the gift of Reagan's leadership at a time when we sorely needed it.
DON STAFFIN
Bridgewater, N.J.

Tenet Steps Down

"Out Of The Line Of Fire" [JUNE 14], about George Tenet's resignation as CIA director, reported on U.S. intelligence shortcomings before 9/11 and leading up to the Iraq war. A more recent issue is the torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Horrid acts performed by our lower-level troops and independent contractors have been exposed and appear to have been condoned if not ordered by the CIA. Could this embarrassing revelation have been the last straw for Tenet?
JOHN N. SCHNEIDER
Vernon, N.Y.

Tenet caved to the Bush Administration's push for war. His chummy relationship with President Bush is yet another example showing that the good-ole-boy network is alive and well in Washington. Odds are that the reports of the 9/11 investigations will highlight other problems created by this Administration's failure to create and sustain professional working relationships with those outside the circle of inbred ideological buddies.
SALLY LANDES
Loveland, Colo.

Intelligence can be described as hearing voices through the noise. At the best of times, it is a difficult and imprecise task. But when the noise is generated by the White House and the Pentagon and directed into the ears of the CIA, the task becomes impossible.
ADI ARIELI
Los Angeles

The Soldiers' Duty

"Stretching The Troops In Iraq" [June 14] stated that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry called the Army's unilateral extension of soldiers' enlistments a "back-door draft." But if it weren't for our troops fighting in numerous wars, we might not have the freedoms we have today and America could have become a country like Iraq. The war on terrorism started the day al-Qaeda decided to crash planes into buildings, killing thousands of Americans. I do not blame Bush for this, and I stand by him 100%. If we didn't go to Iraq and stand up for our country, that would give other terrorists an opportunity to attack America. It is disrespectful not to fight for those who died on 9/11.
ALEXIS A. EMERY
Aberdeen, N.J.

No Regrets

Re "Performance Of The Week" [June 14]: I was nauseated by the endless stream of apologies made to Smarty Jones and his camp after Birdstone won the Belmont Stakes, the real test of horse-racing greatness. Birdstone was the best horse that day. His breeding and an exquisite, masterful ride by jockey Edgar Prado took him across the finish line first. TIME gets a gold star for recognizing a true champion.
ELAINE DUETT
Coral Gables, Fla.