Nothing says educated like hairy legs and underwear?

Editor, The Times:

Ellen Goodman could have spared us some time by reducing her recent 748-word column on Sarah Palin [“The rogue elephant’s book tour,” Opinion, syndicated column, Nov. 20] down to 4 words: I don’t like her.

Goodman is like a learned professor holding forth in a witty, scholarly disquisition while his audience can’t get past the fact that he had forgotten that morning to put on his trousers. His underwear and pale hairy legs are just too distracting from his clever profundities.

In Goodman’s case, the absurdity that detracts from all is her support of Barack Obama for president.

Obama was and is much less qualified than Sarah Palin to lead the country.

So far, everything the Obama administration has done and tried to do has been extremely divisive and a complete waste of time and treasure. And yet Goodman supported Obama for president, while contending that Palin was grossly underqualified to be vice president, a job with no duties of consequence except to preside over the Senate. What’s with that?

— Peter Kogler, Seattle

Former Alaska governor fights for the heartland of America

Former Gov. Sarah Palin’s book went on sale last week and the Democratic establishment treated the governor with contempt.

For example, a recent Newsweek cover featured the governor in shorts, and the Democrat’s pundits blamed her for the unflattering photo. The attacks on the former governor are relentless in the media.

The establishment was sharply critical of her for resigning as governor. Nevertheless, she left Alaska in much better financial shape than a near-broke California and most other states.

Aligned with many of the states near bankruptcy, the Democrat federal government’s spending cannot be sustained even with confiscator tax increases.

Heartland America admires Sarah Palin because of her demonstrated Alaskan fiscal conservationism and traditional uncompromising American values.

She must keep fighting for the heartland.

— Norma Wilbur, University Place