Letters:

Sen. Arlen Specter's vote for the stimulus package has apparently set off the right wing of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. Party members are again threatening him with a primary opponent. As a registered Democrat of 37 years, I can think of only one response: Great!

Haven't they noticed that conservative candidates have been trounced in the last three statewide elections, including Rick Santorum? Did they not notice that John McCain lost by Santorum-like numbers? I hope their blindness continues. It will be far easier in 2010 for a Democrat to win the seat if Specter is not running.

Mark Stackhouse
Dresher
stack012009@comcast.net

Dick Polman writes of the Republican opposition to the stimulus plan as though the motivation was purely an emotional Hatfields vs. McCoys one - solely to infuriate or obstruct the Democrats ("Obama under fire from right - and left," last Sunday).

Absurd. The bill is jammed with items that will not stimulate the economy and that the Republicans merely wanted to remove. It would have been more appropriate for Democrats to take up those spending items at a different time in a different bill. Republicans offered stimulus alternatives, acknowledging the urgency as well - so the implication by Democrats of Republican malaise is a red herring.

Frank Santoro
Havertown
f.santoro@judge.com

Re: " 'Yes we can' slams into political reality in D.C.," last Sunday:

This analysis reminds me of people who are very depressed. Their minds dwell in darkness, unable to see anything new as positive. Check out www.whitehouse.gov to see how citizens are being empowered to hold leaders accountable. Or check out www.recovery.gov to see exactly where the stimulus-package money is going. How un-TARP!

President Obama will make mistakes, as every human being does, but citizens should recognize the good he is bringing.

Nancy Colbert
Phoenixville
nancapcol@msn.com

The elephant in the room that Trudy Rubin seems unable to recognize is that no reasonable person can honestly state, with any level of confidence, that an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and recognition of a Palestinian state would guarantee peace ("Saving the two-state solution," Wednesday).

I have no idea why commentators continue to advance this facile narrative that occupation equals war, and withdrawal must equal peace, despite Israel's experience withdrawing from southern Lebanon - resulting in an emboldened Hezbollah practically carving out its own mini-state - and the more recent withdrawal from Gaza, which resulted in Hamas' rise to power and the subsequent bombing of Israel.

Adam Levick
Philadelphia

By gambling, Pete Rose jeopardized the integrity of baseball. Even though I admired his intensity, barring his entry into the Hall of Fame sent a clear message.

Drug use skews the meaning of records and unfairly diminishes the accomplishment of others who truly deserve recognition. Evidence of drug use seems more than sufficient reason to remove players from consideration for recognition by the hall.

John Wenderoth
Media

Gov. Rendell and the Delaware River Port Authority board "don't get it," the same way bank CEOs "don't get it." They must stop spending toll money on non-transportation projects.

David Epler
Cherry Hill