MONDAY'S LETTERS: 'For Better', Filkins and the Danger of Reporting in Baghdad, Did Corn Out Valerie Plame?

By: E&P Staff In today's letters, readers respond to E&P's article about Dexter Filkins and the troubles of security for reporters in Iraq, questions about whether writer David Corn "outed" an undercover CIA agent, and worries about the looming U.S. confrontation with Iran.


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Filkins and the Danger of Reporting in Iraq

I don't see any problem with the curtailed reporting [in Iraq]. These reporters can do what they normally do without actually seeing anything (a la Jason Blair). Their anti-war reports and slant are already in there; no need to confuse them with facts. Just fill in the blanks with new names and places ... voila.

Sylvia Medford
Mableton, Ga.



What happened to those courageous reporters who others in E&P heralded? I have spoken to over a hundred returned military personnel, some wounded! To a person, each of them says the press is biased and is misreporting the war. I believe them. I have seen first-hand examples when I was in Vietnam, as well as numerous examples of events I personally witnessed. ...

The Allies bombed France in preparation to the Normandy invasion, killing 15,000 civilians. Today's journalists would likely make that a headline along with the landings that were on the wrong beaches.

Mike Sarkisian


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On Iran and Iraq

The situation in Iran and that George W. Bush has no credibility is the direct result of Bush's blunder in Iraq. No WMD, no Al Qaeda, no mama, no papa and Uncle Sam shouldn't be wasting assets in Baghdad.

That said, because Bush misled America into Iraq, now the rest of the world views George Bush somewhat like Baghdad Bob -- or maybe that old car salesman, Joe Isuzu. With friends like George W. Bush, who needs Osama? George W. Bush has taken a golden opportunity and blown it. He immediately forgot 9/11 and all those victims but for their value as a political tool.

Iran may be a great danger to the United States, but would you trust George W. Bush to make the case? I think not.

Bill Adkins
Williamstown, Ky.


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Did David Corn Out Valerie Plame?

Victoria [Toensing] was just on C-span and reiterated [her charge]: why wasn't David Corn questioned as to how he knew Valerie Plame was a covert operative? [Toensing] claims Valerie [Plame] was not covert, and to be employed at Langley verified that statement.

Also, Joe Wilson declares in his book, proudly, that Valerie Plame, allegedly slept with him on their second date. If she was such a covert operative, wasn't that a deadly chance she was taking, had she been covert? Joe could have been a double agent, which I'm still not sure might [not] be true, because I'm not sure which side he is on, ours or the enemy's. ...

Dee Moore
Newark, Ohio



Since "operative" is not an official term used by the intelligence community, not even as a term of art, it is perfectly reasonable for Mr. Corn to understand that "operative" meant "covert." It is equally reasonable to assume that it meant "anyone employed by CIA." The term is used primarily by script writers and, apparently, journalists, but has no "official" meaning.

John Burgess



Did you interview Victoria Toensing? If not, you are a biased publication and shouldn't pretend to be looking for the truth. You and CNN's "Reliable Sources" are a joke. You both pretend to be looking for the truth, when, in actuality, your main purpose is to make excuses for the left.

Don Wright
St. Louis, Mo.



No "covert" or "undercover" CIA employee would get within 50 miles of Langley. [Valerie] Plame drove in and out of there daily for years, having her picture taken by foreign intelligence services. Anyone interested knew who she was and probably what she did, even before her husband listed her on his since-disappeared Web bio. The logical conclusion is that Corn is either dumb as dirt or untruthful.

Mary McLemore
Pike Road, Ala.


Is 'For Better or For Worse' the Best Comic Ever?

As a huge "For Better or For Worse" fan, I enjoyed [Dave Astor's] "'For Better' the Best" column! Great insight!!

David Reddick
Artist/Writer
Paws Inc.



Thank you for those words of praise. I share your enthusiasm for Lynn's work -- although I'd give Schulz a slight edge for a deeper "soul" on occasion.

In an entertainment world filled with over-hyped and cynically-manufactered glop it is reassuring to have some quality entertainment options still available. Lynn Johnston is genuine and deserves compliment.

Al Long



I've been a fan of "FBOFW" since, I think, the mid-1980s when I first discovered it. I grew up in a comics-loving family and my pre-teen son and I are both avid readers of graphic novels, comic books, and comic strips of all kinds, but Johnston's work has grabbed us like no other daily strip ever has. The gay friend, Lawrence, is the "realistic" character most often cited when people talk about the strip, and there's no question that was an important step. But on a more mundane level, I still remember vividly the long introduction of the youngest Patterson daughter, April, who came along by surprise. Johnston has said in interviews over the years that she received hate mail -- or at any rate unpleasant mail--from readers who objected when older brother Michael and sister Elizabeth weren't 100% positive about the new baby's arrival.

In fact, I can state from personal experience as a much-older sister (my younger sister arrived when I was 16) that these strips presented some of the most realistic dialogues I've ever seen about the subject in *any* medium. There is a lot of love in this strip but it is realistic love, which surprises some readers who think comic strips are only for children.

If this strip ceases to exist, there will be more mourning in our house than there was over the demise of "Calvin and Hobbes" -- and that mourning, I can tell you, is still going on today.

Catherine Arnott Smith
Madison, Wis.



Thank you for the great article praising "For Better or For Worse." I have been a fan of the strip for decades, and it is now the only strip I read. I had the honor of meeting Lynn Johnston in person at a book signing, and I was so impressed by her and her work that I still vividly remember that day, although it was almost ten years ago.

I totally agree with your comments and comparisons of "FBOFW" to other strips. I believe her tactful handling of serious issues has made her #1 in any poll.

Susan McDonald