Letters

Rove on the Spot

Our story on the legal and political storm over the disclosure of a CIA officer's identity and Karl Rove's involvement drew mail from readers who expressed their dismay at the lengths to which the White House will go to discredit critics. Others dismissed the affair as a partisan attack on President Bush's key strategist

Whether Karl Rove technically broke a law when he leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame [wife of Administration critic Joseph Wilson] is beside the point [July 25]. Despite repeated denials by the White House, Rove talked about Plame to TIME's Matthew Cooper as well as to Robert Novak, the reporter who blew her cover. So the President's deputy chief of staff was involved in revealing the identity of a covert CIA officer because her husband disputed George W. Bush's claim that Iraq attempted to buy uranium from Niger. The President's right-hand man is at best a rat and at worst a traitor.

HAL MARCH - Williamstown, Mass.

Here's the situation: Rove is the architect of Bush's successful presidential campaigns and of Republican congressional victories. The Democrats will do or say anything to destroy the conservative political genius. This "controversy" has nothing to do with national security; it is party politics as usual.

HUGH MAGUIRE - Natick, Mass.

We don't know yet if Rove committed a criminal act. But we do know the answers to other questions: Is he a character assassin? Absolutely. Is he unethical? Without a doubt. Those answers should be enough to ride him out of town on a rail. The Bush Administration, however, will probably give him a raise.

JANE VOIGT - Arlington, Va.

Why even pose the question of whether Rove will pay the price for his role in the Plame debacle? Rove is a political strategist who knows precisely what to say--or not to say--to keep himself out of hot water. He knew just what he was doing with his campaign of innuendo. Unfortunately, somebody else is going to end up taking the fall for Rove's vindictiveness. Rove should be fired immediately, but it will be hard for the President to oust his most trusted adviser.

JENNIFER DENNY - Peoria, Ill.

Lost in the cacophony of media attention surrounding Rove's possible misdeeds is one basic fact: in the buildup to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, this Administration misled the American people regarding Iraq's development of nuclear weapons. That important fact is now virtually forgotten. Meanspirited Novak, a shill for the political right, publicly outed Wilson's wife Plame. That was the Administration's first parry to deflect public attention. And with the continuing diversion of the American people's attention from the central issue of deception, the Administration is having things just the way it wants.

GREGORY J. RYAN - Woodland Hills, Calif.

It is absurd that New York Times reporter Judith Miller was put in jail for refusing to reveal her confidential sources and Rove remains in a job paid for by U.S. taxpayers. It's time for Bush to demonstrate true character and leadership and do as he promised, without parsing the relative legality of Rove's actions, which were at the very least arrogant and unethical. That sort of behavior should not be tolerated by either the President or the American people. We expect better from our public servants, elected or otherwise.

LUCIA FOLEY - Cinnaminson, N.J.

The media are making the Plame case far too complicated. Bush can no more fire Rove than dummy Charlie McCarthy could fire ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.

EDMUND C. VALENTINE - Wabasso, Fla.

Americans deserve to know all the facts about who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame. Bush's credibility is on the line. We will see if Bush really meant it when he said he would fire anyone in his Administration who leaked information that exposed the identity of a CIA officer. The media must hold Bush's feet to the fire until he takes the actions he said he would do.

PAUL L. WHITELEY SR. - Louisville, Ky.

The entire Plame affair reminds me way too much of typical middle school-clique in-fighting--except that immature 13-year-olds don't hold the power of life and death over millions of people. What can we do to ensure that positions of power are held by more responsible, cooperative, civil adults?

JO VIRGIL - Austin, Texas

Cooper's Testimony

TIME correspondent Matthew Cooper's account of what he told the grand jury investigating the leak of the identity of CIA officer Plame [July 25] increased my level of trust in journalists several notches above its usual place--that is, below used-car salesmen. Cooper admitted that he couldn't make perfect sense of some of his notes, didn't have infallible recall and didn't know all the legal ramifications of everything that happened. He actually seems to think that he can be a little like the rest of us and still be a reporter. He provided a glimmer of what honest journalism can be. I like it!

FRANK KIZER - Bartlett, Tenn.

What stands out most for me is the lengths to which Cooper was willing to go to protect Rove as his source [of information that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA]--just as any great reporter would for any other source. Too often those in this country who decry the "mainstream news media" as liberally biased forget that the Founding Fathers wrote the First Amendment to protect our democracy, not destroy it. By keeping Rove's identity confidential, Cooper, in the finest tradition of journalism, proved that freedom of the press protects all American citizens, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.

JONATHAN GREENE - Los Angeles

War of Words

In his column "Stop Trying to Spin the Iraq War" [July 25], Joe Klein wrote that the Rove-Plame-Wilson affair illuminated "a signature disgrace of the Bush presidency: its tendency to treat the war in Iraq as an issue to be spun, rather than a life-and-death struggle to be won." Klein should be applauded for reminding Americans that Bush's top priority is to protect and enhance his and his party's image. Nearly every issue is molded along political party lines and spun. When will we stand up and demand that this Administration be held accountable for jeopardizing national security? President Bush's job is to protect us, not his own hide.

ALEV GUeNAY - New York City

Klein noted, "It is long past time for the White House to stop fighting the press and the Democrats and figure out how to fight the war." He should have added that it is time for the press and the Democrats to stop playing politics with the Iraq war and demanding a timetable for U.S. withdrawal. Their words give aid and comfort to the enemy.

EKBERT SHAW - Santa Rosa, Calif.

As Klein noted, although the U.S. Presidential election is long over, campaign- style spinning persists. The Iraq war is out of control. Anyone who believes there is a political solution to the problems in Iraq must be dreaming. The U.S. will never be able to extricate itself from the fighting in the Middle East. There is something to be said about a comprehensive, multilateral foreign policy for the region that includes diplomacy, inspections and containment: when we had it, it worked. Our entire military could have been gainfully employed right here in the States, out of harm's way, securing our homeland at a fraction of the cost of invading Iraq.

MARLENE B. FELTUS-JACKSON - New Orleans

Why call the situation in Iraq a war? Iraq is an emerging democratic country struggling to govern itself after years of oppression. There are lawless insurgents, both foreign and Iraqi, that the authorities must deal with. Why doesn't the U.S. just get out of the way? If we keep calling the conflict a war, the insurgents may gain strength by naming it "the American war." They will use that label to recruit Iraqis who hate us.

CLEMENT EDGAR - Bethany Beach, Del.

Of Islam and Violence

Irshad Manji's Essay "When Denial Can Kill" succinctly captured the complex issue of Islam's intertwinings with terrorism and noted that Muslims, of which she is one, need to admit that Islam might be motivating suicide bombers [July 25]. As a Muslim, I find it not only refreshing but also encouraging to read an article that challenges what Manji referred to as a "dangerous denial from which mainstream Muslims need to emerge." Perhaps other Muslims will follow Manji's lead and be less hesitant to create a much needed bridge of "cross-cultural understanding."

SARA SADIK - London

Manji argues that extremists' actions are fostered in part by Islamic teachings. Funny, I'm a Muslim, yet I haven't gone and blown myself up. Neither have my relatives or my neighbors. Blaming verses from the Koran for terrorist attacks upon innocent people is just plain wrong.

SHEHLA NAZ FAIZI - Karachi

The biggest threat posed to the civilized world by religious radicals of all stripes is their inability to doubt or question dogma that is clearly immoral in today's world. It is past time for prominent leaders from all the world's major religions to express a genuine commitment to finding a common moral ground that will allow all peoples to choose the faith that best fits their needs.

WILLIAM M. DIEKMANN - Phoenix, Ariz.

Denial can kill. I believe that Manji is mistaken, however, in blaming religion for terrorism. A person's actions are decided and forged in reality, not religion. Islam is not to blame. While religion is a powerful force, it is not the reason that terrorism exists. The terrorists are trying to protect their culture, land and dignity in an unreasonable, extreme way. Manji asks Muslims to "own up" to the negative ideas that radicals find in the Koran. But that does nothing to rectify the situation or change the system. Change is needed--not just personal change but social change as well.

LISA ALARCON - Stanford, Calif.

Return to Hogwarts

Your report on J.K. Rowling and the latest installment in her fantasy series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, gave me new insight into a true legend of literature [July 25]. It was good to learn about her struggles as well as her triumphs as a writer. I had thought the Potter books just flowed easily from Rowling's imagination. Now I understand that writing isn't magic, and that makes her books even more compelling.

MATTHEW LIPTAK - Boardman, Ohio

A friend asked me why I would stand in line and wait for the new Harry Potter book to be released at midnight. Couldn't my children wait until Saturday morning to get their copy? The answer is in the magic spell that Rowling spins. You simply can't wait one extra moment, and the same is true for her readers all around the globe. Rowling has brought kids together. They all know Harry.

KAREN BROOKS - Phoenix, Ariz.

Hurting All Over

Your story about the federal crackdown on physicians who prescribe narcotics [July 25] asked why the DEA is hounding doctors. Answer: Because the DEA can't catch the real drug dealers. So the agency took a cue straight from the White House: if you can't capture Osama bin Laden, go after Saddam Hussein. As bad as it sounds, I would like DEA personnel to experience intense pain. If, like the rest of us, they had to suffer the consequences of the DEA's incompetent attack on painkiller abuse, maybe that would put an end to this nonsense.

ROSLYN REID - Bernardsville, N.J.

As a husband whose wife is battling a recurrence of breast cancer, I have some advice for the DEA: be sure your far-flung investigative net snares real abusers, not just physicians whose patients, without treatment, are unable to live decently. In comparing a physician convicted of drug trafficking to a cocaine or heroin dealer, DEA administrator Karen Tandy sends a threatening message to physicians and patients alike. Unless rhetoric is followed up with a thoughtful and commonsense policy, it will be government run amuck. You can be sure that I and thousands of others will do what is necessary to get access to drugs needed by our families.

STEFAN N. MILLER - Baltimore, Md.

I am a registered nurse. I get a glimpse every day into the world of people in pain. It is surprising to me that today there are so many stigmas associated with narcotics use. There are many people like those mentioned in the article who require high doses of narcotics to deal with their pain. They don't need to encounter difficulty in getting them.

EMMA WALLACE - Montreal