Letters: Jan. 18, 1999

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MEN OF THE YEAR

"Bill Clinton and Ken Starr both on the cover? I'm surprised this issue didn't self-destruct and take my mailbox along with it." JUDI MILLER Plainville, Mass.

Your selection of Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and President Bill Clinton was the most perfect choice that you could have made [MEN OF THE YEAR, Dec. 28-Jan. 4]. It was brilliant! SHARON WITHAM Lakeport, Calif.

You've got to be kidding! Clinton and Starr? One guy can't admit to the truth, and the other spends millions of taxpayers' dollars to prove a point that the American people don't want anything to do with. We could have used that money for education or to feed the poor. KURT SHOEMAKER Pennsville, N.J.

Clinton and Starr together at last! There's not a dime's worth of difference between those two; they simply gave in to different temptations. Perhaps both should be censured for their callous unwillingness to consider the consequences of their actions. In any case, your cover could facilitate a rather satisfactory game of darts. JAMES A. BLAIR Cumberland, R.I.

This selection has to rank as one of the most dismal TIME has ever made. These guys are the Humbert Humbert and Inspector Javert of U.S. politics. RICHARD E. HEGNER Columbia, Md.

Congratulations. Never before have I seen such a fascinating contrast of good and evil both within and especially between two men. It is like combat between God and the devil. But I won't say who is the evil one. LEE ZOOK Mabel, Minn.

Clinton and Starr are linked like my dog and his fleas. My pet serves as a watchdog and friend; Clinton does his job as a leader tackling difficult problems. My dog's fleas do nothing but irritate him and me. Starr's investigations have only done harm to the body politic. Let him flee the judgment of history. PAUL J. LAROCCA East Hartford, Conn.

You have contributed directly to the decline of America by choosing two of the biggest buffoons our planet has ever known. JAMES MABRY Anchorage

I won't be hanging any pictures of your Men of the Year in my kindergarten classroom. Shame on you! How could you relegate baseball's Mark McGwire to the (newly invented?) category of Hero of the Year? McGwire taught us all a lesson in sportsmanship and humility. ANNE M. HAGGERTY Silver Spring, Md.

IMPEACHMENT OF A PRESIDENT

The Fact that Bill Clinton was impeached as a result of partisan voting in the House of Representatives shows how ridiculous this process is [NATION, Dec. 28-Jan. 4]. Has any other American President met as much spiteful opposition as Clinton? How many more hypocritical Republicans are going to be forced out of the infidelity closet to follow in the wake of Henry Hyde, Dan Burton and Bob Livingston? When a Republican is next elected President, I hope the Democrats in Washington work as hard as possible to make his presidency a living hell. The actions of the Republicans have created a blueprint to follow. DEAN DUANE Highlands, N.J.

The vote to impeach Clinton is a verdict on his entire political life for consistently violating moral and ethical rules. JEFF SMITH Fort Lauderdale, Fla.