Letters: Jan. 15, 2001

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PERSON OF THE YEAR

"George W. Bush is the person of the moment, but he did not have the influence over events in the year 2000 to merit your choice." JIM BOYD Emporia, Kans.

I commend TIME for its choice of George W. Bush [PERSON OF THE YEAR, Dec. 25-Jan. 1]. The media tended to be biased toward Bush during the whole campaign and its aftermath, but through it all, Bush showed how much grace, class and strength he possesses. I agree that he deserves such an honor. AMY VEACH White Lake, Mich.

In 2000 Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia; the Serbian people overthrew Slobodan Milosevic; South Korean President Kim Dae Jung put his country and North Korea on their best footing in 50 years; Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat failed to reach an Israeli-Palestinian agreement; and Vicente Fox ended 70 years of P.R.I. rule in Mexico through the ballot. To people outside the U.S., the presidential election was hardly the event that contributed the most to influencing the news, for better or worse, in 2000. JOAO LUIS HAMBURGER Sao Paulo

I really appreciated your Person of the Year. You made an excellent choice. I am happy for President-elect Bush. CECILIA JENKINS Chicago

TIME's argument for naming Bush is that this was a historic election, one that will be cited in the century to come, and that whoever was the survivor would be a "symbol of a historic showdown." True, but Bush was not the sole cause of the great drama, simply its beneficiary. He was a part of the action, but so were Vice President Al Gore, Ralph Nader, the designers of the Florida ballot and the Founding Fathers, who created the Electoral College. Bush has not done one thing to effect change on anyone so far. I congratulate him on winning the election, but wait until he does something before singing his praises. You lowered your standards this year. KEVIN GANNON New York City

TIME chose a man who has not yet had an opportunity to have a significant impact on events. He is important because he was selected to be President by a partisan court, not by the people. DANIEL R. KUEHN Arden Hills, Minn.

Bush is the President-elect. Let the naysayers take a break from second-guessing and give the new Administration an opportunity to present its agenda. Both Democrats and Republicans could end up being pleased with the accomplishments of a Bush Administration. WALTER W. SCHOENHOLZ Barrington, Ill.

A much better selection would have been Gore and Bush as People of the Year. Both men made their mark on our country's history in 2000, but you chose the man who ascended to the presidency by keeping votes from being counted. Extremely disappointing. GINA MAXWELL ULBERT San Antonio, Texas

THE CONSTITUTION SURVIVES

Thank you so much for the encouraging words "Yes, We'll Survive" on your cover with the U.S. Constitution [Dec. 18]. That simple message of hope and optimism, once commonplace in American culture, helped me walk a little more upright. Enough Chicken Littles can indeed, if unchallenged, make the sky fall. Thank you for using your voice to build us all up a bit. You were heard. MARK ARNOLD St. Louis, Mo.