Letters

At first I was appalled by your choice for Person of the Year [Dec. 27--Jan. 3]. But then I remembered your criterion: the person who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill. I can't think of anyone in my lifetime who has affected more people's lives for ill than George W. Bush.

GLENN BOYLAN Alpharetta, Ga.

BUSH'S DETERMINATION AND STEADFAST personality are what makes this President special. There is no pretense or sophistication about him. He is authentic.

JUANA MOREAU Marrero, La.

PRESIDENT BUSH IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE newsmaker of the year. Is he, however, a "revolutionary"? In your article, the Bush who no longer needs to win an election came across as a pugnacious thug, his swaggering, loves-to-be-hated style more brash than visionary. TIME said he was a "punk at heart" and recalled his college days of wearing cowboy boots and a bomber jacket on campus during Vietnam War protests. Was he an outsider then, as you suggest, or was he then--and is he now--the ultimate insider, a protected son of wealth and power who has little fear of what frightens ordinary people? You quoted him as saying, "I've got all the power I need." Yes, God help us all, he does.

JAN HAMILTON POWELL Chattanooga, Tenn.

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH TIME'S choice of Bush. Dubya's footprints have been large; it is a pity they have mostly been going backward. The President is no revolutionary but a reactionary pushing against the progressive tide. Americans feel poorer, less safe and less free than four years ago. Despite a narrow election victory in threatening times, he tells himself he has a mandate to shake things up. Look out, America. Look out, world!

JEFF BENNETZEN Bogart, Ga.

YOU CHOSE PRESIDENT BUSH FOR "STICKING to his guns." The problem is, he isn't the one manning those guns. It's the unfortunate troops in Iraq, many of them reservists and National Guard members, who are fighting and dying in Bush's ill-conceived war.

DAVID SHEFFIELD Los Angeles

BUSH IS A PROVEN LEADER AND A GOD-fearing man. He goes against the norm, and that ticks off everyone. I'm proud to have him as our President.

MIKE DAMPIER Hot Springs, Ark.

THE PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN BACK TO Americans something we have longed for and needed for a long time: hope for a moral and strong U.S.

NANCY JACKSON Blossom, Texas

BUSH HAS MADE SOME HARD CHOICES during his four years, some of the toughest a President has had to make. He sticks to his guns and does not retreat. Twenty or 30 years from now, he will be described as a man of vision and courage. He stands up for what he believes is right and does not ask the world for its opinion.

MARK KING Lyons, Neb.

I FIND YOUR SUBSTANTIATION FOR CHOOSING Bush as Person of the Year quite appalling. Although "sticking to his guns" and "reshaping the rules of politics" are both attributes of our President, they are precisely the traits that are taking our great democracy down a scary path. Your choice of Bush reinforces the notion that being a strong leader is more important than being a wise one.

HELEN WIANT Cupertino, Calif.

MANY OF THE GRAVEST ERRORS IN HUMAN history were made by leaders who stuck to their guns. We don't need guns. We need compassion and moral strength.

JON SHERMAN Chicago

>>Naturally, a number of TIME's readers had their own thoughts about who should be Person of the Year. The Iraq war got its share of attention with nominations for "the brave soldiers and innocent victims who have perished in the Iraqi conflict." There was a concerted letter-writing campaign for Viktor Yushchenko, who finally succeeded in winning the disputed Ukrainian presidential election. His supporters praised him as "a prime example of someone who is truly fighting for democracy." A Salt Lake City, Utah, reader had this idea: "A better choice would have been the American people. We weathered the election, went back to work and did so without a civil war. We have proved to ourselves that we are able to live and work together despite the most divisive election in our history."

From Farther Afield

BUSH DESERVES TO BE NAMED PERSON OF the Year because of his farsighted vision [Dec. 27--Jan. 3]. Since 9/11, he has been the only world leader with a clear plan for how to face and combat terrorism. His critics have demonized him but never offered any serious alternative strategies. History will regard him as the person who helped defeat terrorism.

FABRIZIO ZANELLO Genoa, Italy

THE PERSON OF THE YEAR SHOULD BE someone who has shaped events. Although Bush sees himself as a leader, his decisions since 9/11 have been reactive rather than proactive. It pains me greatly, therefore, to nominate two men who have really been calling the shots: Osama bin Laden and insurgent leader Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi. Both seem to understand that power comes through the hearts and minds of the people.

STANLEY J. COURTNEY Shrewsbury, England

Is Having a Rainbow Cabinet Enough?

COLUMNIST JOE KLEIN'S "THE BENETTON-AD PRESIDENCY" discussed the diversity of President Bush's choices for Cabinet posts [Dec. 27--Jan. 3]. But diversity is not merely a difference of color or ethnicity but also a divergence of perspective, opinion and experience. If the President is really interested in diversity, he will do well to name a Cabinet that sees things differently, challenges convention and perhaps even dares to disagree, instead of simply achieving a comfort level that feels good. That's true diversity.

TERRENCE D. SAMUEL JR. Gates, Ore.

BUSH'S CABINET LOOKS LIKE A RAINBOW AND APPEARS TO BE beyond reproach. But that's the trick. To judge this Administration, you must look deeper into the policies being enacted and their impact on the various segments of our society. You can't judge a book by its cover.

OLIVIA KOPPELL New York City

Ham Radio Relief: Building Bridges

I WAS OFFENDED BY THE CHARACTERIZATION OF HAM RADIO AS a "faintly embarrassing hobby" in the article "Blogs Have Their Day" [Dec. 27--Jan. 3]. Ham radio operators--I have been one for 47 years--provided emergency communication after the Indian Ocean tsunami. They have supplied similar public service in many other situations, including the Florida hurricanes. Our systems include thousands of repeaters that receive and transmit throughout the U.S., connections with the Internet and more. Ham radio bridges the gap between countries and peoples; there are more than 750,000 operators in the U.S. and many thousands more overseas.

JOHN RAYDO Kansas City, Mo.