If Mr. Cheney retracts and apologizes

Mr. President,

As a former supporter of both you and the senior Mr. Bush I have changed my mind. I find the attacks of Mr. Kerry by your running mate and yourself unacceptable. I appall attack ads, a person should run on his record and deeds. I find someone who attacks another has issues with his self. Even though I find your record has merit, your attacks and the vice president the final issue to support Mr. Kerry.

I support Iraqi Freedom. Even though I think we as a country were misled, we should be helping those in Iraq to become free. It was not until I watched Mr. Cheney on the convention floor; I realized he is unfit to call anyone's war record wrong. I do feel you are a competent commander; however, it scares me that a non-combatant is next inline in the Chain of Command. I strongly urge you to consider that. What Mr. Cheney says reflects highly on you. Someone who avoided the war has no right to attack someone who was there. While you were not in Vietnam, you did serve the Guard. That I can and do respect! Mr. Cheney should have stayed out of that.

As a worker in the military supply field making armor parts for the Humvee, I have some knowledge of the need for a strong commander. If Mr. Cheney retracts his stance and apologizes for this impropriety, I would reconsider my current support to Mr. Kerry. I remain supportive to the war effort. I retain a job that pays too little. My reason for this is I like to provide something that makes a difference to our troops. Your best stance to me was your commitment to increase the amount of up-armored Humvees. I remain a loyal supportive American; however, I can no longer support dogged attacks by any politician.

Sincerely,

Raymond
Age 46
Hamilton, OH

The swiftvets are the best friends you have

Dear George:

Please be quiet about the swiftboat vets for truth. They have turned this election around for you by exercising their 1st amendment right to free speech. All you need to do is sit back and let them tell the truth about Kerry and you will win this election. I don't know who is advising you but they are 100% wrong. Don't throw away the lead they have given you with ill-advised comments about the 527 groups. You may not know it but the swiftvets are the best friends you have in this election. I believe they are telling the truth and the American people have a right to know just what kind of person John Kerry really is, not his version, but the truth!

Bill
Age 56
Versailles, Kentucky

Scrub your speeches

Dear George:

While I intend to give you my vote, I implore you to insist that your people scrub your speeches, and the V.P.'s, to eliminate "out of context" quotes, or to insure that contextual clarity is offered along with the critique, concerning the oppositions' many questionable positions and assertions. Many of your critiques, couched, as they often are, in ironic, sarcastic, or ridiculing terms, are both true and deserved. But making the points by extreme carving or chopping of the target idiocy away from its context demeans and cheapens our cause. It also damages us by playing into the hands of the all-too-capable cheap shot artists on the other side. We don't need to give them additional ammunition. I believe we can play hardball without stooping to the embarrassingly coarse and dishonest rhetorical level so often employed by loonies and zealots. I suppose what I'm talking about comprises much of what the media likes to term "negative campaigning." Whatever. For me, I just want to see us as making an honest case.

Mike
Age 59
Alexandria, VA