Letter: President has already defined his legacy

Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006 | 7:16 a.m.

One of the pains of growing older is the ability to remember when most politicians acted with civility. The meaning of the word integrity escapes some modern ones. When they cannot discuss the issues with knowledge and insight, they resort to the vilest attacks, stomping with glee on their opponents.

We certainly see the devastation that an intellectually challenged president, struggling to maintain a veneer of adequacy, can wreak upon a nation when self-interest and worry about a "legacy" supersede the needs and welfare of the nation. While the president's party reaps the advantages and benefits of control, we must remind all lawmakers that this is a government of the people, by the people and for (all) the people - not just the pseudo-elite and their most loyal supporters.

Our checks and balances in government do not take into account the ingenuity of fools. War without a workable plan, appointment of unqualified cronies (FEMA et al.), protection of big business, and then chopping away at the middle class and poor to stanch the copiously bleeding budget. Label anyone who disagrees with ill-advised plans as treasonous while stomping on constitutional laws.

This is President Bush's legacy, and no squawking Republican's indignant denials will change that fact one iota.

Betty L. Byrd, Las Vegas