George,

Reading the report on E.L Doctorow's speech at Hofstra, and the audience reactions, tracks with what I am hearing on the campaign trail. From Republicans, especially. That is, a great sensitivity to any perceived "Bush-bashing" or suggestions that President Bush might have stretched the truth in the buildup towards Iraq.

Now that it appears that Mr. Bush's war leader role is in grave doubt, that his general leadership of America is taking us in the wrong direction, and that many Republicans are dismayed at the rightward lurch of the GOP, the President's aura of personal integrity (always compared with Clinton) is all that he has left to lay claim to election this year. If the America public becomes convinced that not even personal integrity is his strong suit, Crawford, Texas will have one more full time resident.

What the audience at Hofstra was doing was reacting to the news about the Emperor's new clothes.

Al Weed (electronic mail, May 28, 2004)