Sneering at Obama isn't real analysis
I eagerly opened my Baltimore Sun on Wednesday morning intending to savor the news of how Sen. Barack Obama, an inspiring young politician, had just won the presidency ("It's Obama," Nov. 5).
His substantial and unchallengeable margin of victory is a stunning demonstration of his ability to heal divisions and bring the nation together.
He has achieved a clear mandate from the American people to lead our country, command our armed forces and work to gain congressional support for his policies.
Sadly, but predictably, Ron Smith's sneering, snide, disrespectful and fundamentally unpatriotic column on Wednesday, "Don't expect much from the next Great Man" (Commentary, Nov. 5), merely demonstrates once again the utter lack of reason on the political far right.
It's my view that The Baltimore Sun's decision to allow this vicious commentary to appear in its pages demonstrates poor judgment and is not a serious attempt to give responsible and thoughtful conservative viewpoints a forum.
It's time to send Mr. Smith back where he came from - to mindless talk radio.
The Baltimore Sun's readership deserves more thoughtful conservative writing.
John Bosley, Baltimore
Already blaming Bush for failures?
Well, it only took one day after the general election for local liberal columnist Thomas F. Schaller to establish the Democrats' "It isn't our fault" alibi ("The Obama victory: What does it mean?" Commentary, Nov. 5).
Mr. Schaller laments that "this year's winner was always doomed to inherit so many paralyzing and intractable problems that the next four years will be defined largely by the previous eight."
Translated, this means that regardless of all and any potential mistakes, missteps or miscues by President Barack Obama, it will always be the underlying fault of the Bush administration's catastrophic policies and politics that preceded him.
This shows that the old saying about "getting your ducks in a row" will now be the media strategy of the Obama crowd.
But there's another old saying that might likewise be disarmingly pertinent: "Be careful what you wish for."
John Fuller, Perry Hall
Obama victory rally symbolizes new era
From the wreckage of the last eight years comes the gift of Sen. Barack Obama, a man whose life story and promise are woven so remarkably into the fabric of America ("It's Obama," Nov. 5).
