NO CALL TO ARMS

"Americans have managed to create a Catch-22: someone smart enough to be President isn't dumb enough to run for the office." RICHARD H. FAWCETT Uncasville, Connecticut

IN MIDAFTERNOON ON NOV. 8, BILL Clinton was assured a second term as President [CAMPAIGN '96, Nov. 20]. Ironically the assurance came from an unlikely source: a new Republican named Colin Powell. All that is left of the 1996 presidential campaign now that Powell has decided not to run is the rhetoric, vitriol, insults and blame. This will be Bob Dole's last hurrah, and afterward everything will go back to being the way it was in Washington. CARLOS R. CASTILLO Miami

IN A FEW MONTHS I'LL BE 60 YEARS OLD. I have voted in every presidential election since I was eligible, but in all those years there has not been a single candidate that I supported and voted for wholeheartedly. Rather, it has always been a choice between two marginal candidates. I had hoped that General Colin Powell would run, so I could vote--at least once in my lifetime--for a candidate I truly wanted to be President. While I'm disappointed that Powell isn't going to run, I understand his reasons and cannot disagree with them. The U.S. has ended up with a political system that chases away the statesmen and leaves only the self-serving politicians. Washington is like a circus, but instead of having white stallions that march in time to the music, there are sleek, fat seals that play their horns without rhythm and vigorously applaud at every opportunity. AL BROGDON New Britain, Connecticut Via E-mail

YOUR COVER WITH ITS PHOTOMONTAGE of Senator Bob Dole's head on top of General Powell's uniformed body was the most tasteless thing I have ever seen. I was greatly offended by TIME's disrespect to two of the most significant men in this country today. DOROTHY GENTRY DeSoto, Texas Via E-mail

POWELL MUST HAVE BEEN LAUGHING UP his sleeve when the media's and his well- wishers' coaxing, flattery and cajoling lured him into the momentary pleasure of grabbing the greatness "thrust" upon him. And with a militaristic strategy he used that occasion to promote the sale of his book in a nationwide tour. Otherwise, it was clear that a straight soldier and unruffled thinker of Powell's high caliber could not have kept everyone guessing up until the last moment. He must have assessed the very remote possibility of his success despite what his political soothsayers might have suggested. He knew well that the time was not yet ripe for him to jump into the fray. OM JULKA Moreland Hills, Ohio

THE COUNTRY DOES NOT NEED A BOB Dole or a Bill Clinton. The nation does need candidates with faith and confidence in their own beliefs and the courage to campaign on them--regardless of the audience. ROBERT A. PARKES Laramie, Wyoming Via E-mail

I WAS NEVER A REAL POWELL FAN UNTIL the day he pulled out. Ah! Absence makes the heart ponder. The graceful way he exited clearly illustrates that he is the most qualified man for the job. PETER T. LIEU Los Angeles

POWELL, YOU WERE A BEAUTIFUL DREAM, but you have left us Americans with an ugly nightmare. JOSEPHINE WILKINSON Model, Colorado