First, I give praise and express admiration for the balanced variety of political views presented on the Empire’s Opinion page. Second, I am writing to point out that Dick Wright’s cartoon (May 18) linking Presidents Biden and Carter by declaring them both guilty of incompetence and “serial nincompoopery” is not worthy of the Empire’s usual efforts. It is just juvenile name-calling delivered inside a busted analogy. The word nincompoop is a pejorative term used to label someone foolish or stupid. However historians may describe Presidents Carter and Biden, the term “nincompoop” is not likely to appear. The analogy is busted because Carter and Biden are close to being complete opposites. Carter made a living in the private sector, then went on to become one of a string of former governors, including Reagan and G. W. Bush, who were elected President by voters hoping to shake up the “Washington establishment.” Biden is a career politician who is a consummate member of the Washington establishment. Third, since Biden has only been on the job for a few months, it is too early for anyone to pass judgement on the competency of his presidency, but Carter clearly was not incompetent. Whatever mistakes Carter may have made, and despite the provocations presented, no president in the 40 years since has been able to leave office without going to war, or without the U.S. being engaged in a war.
Phil Mundy,
Juneau
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