Two great letters to the editor in today's Hartford Courant!

[NightTrain]

1. Cheney's Double Standard

Dick Cheney used his speech at the Republican National Convention to criticize John Kerry . I feel ashamed that Dick Cheney represents my government.

Dick Cheney is the ultimate coward. He was afraid to serve in Vietnam, but he is not afraid to send our young people to war in Iraq.

Our valiant heroes sacrifice life and limb while Dick Cheney's oil buddies get richer every day. How does he live with himself?

Jonathan E. Hochman
West Hartford


2. Hatred From Zell

The Sept. 2 headline "Attack Team Takes Stage" got it exactly right. Sen. Zell Miller's speech on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention was really over the top. Not since Pat Buchanan's 1992 declaration of a religious war has there been so much hate, distortion and hypocrisy in a political address. Howard Dean's scream was nothing compared to Zell's yell.

As if it wasn't bad enough that Miller went ballistic before the entire nation, only three years ago, Miller introduced John Kerry as an authentic American hero and a personal friend. Kerry has been tagged with "flip-flop," but no one better personifies a zigzag than Zell.

That the boiling pot of hatred for John Kerry spilled over on Wednesday indicates two things. First, it says that Bush is still playing to the base (it was a Bush-approved speech Zell gave, not something off the cuff). Moderates and independents don't like to see that much bile. It turns them off. And if your re-election campaign is still playing to the base at this point, that's a bad sign.

Second, it says that Bush has no second-term agenda. All he has to offer America is fear of terrorism and hatred of John Kerry. Not very inspiring. Not worth voting for.

Just like his dad, George W. Bush is having serious problems with "that vision thing."

Sten Westgard
Orange

[liberalhistorian]

1. "Howard Dean's scream was nothing compared

to Zell's yell", that's perfect! "Zell's yell from hell" is what it should be called. That second letter is especially good.

[NightTrain]

2. Well, well! Look who's here.

Where ya been???

[lucca]

3. Thanks

I certainly agree with them!
From the second letter, this really says is all:

"All he has to offer America is fear of terrorism and hatred of John Kerry."