In an article headlined “If Democrat Kerrey’s head says `Clinton,’ his heart whispers `Dole’ ” (Perspective, April 7), Thomas Hardy writes that some may guess “it will be a close call” on whom I vote for president in November.
The call is not close at all. I enthusiastically support President Clinton.
The misunderstanding apparently stemmed from my comments expressing respect for Sen. Dole. It may be a commentary on the state of politics today that it is so difficult to reconcile public figures simultaneously respecting and disagreeing with one another. The fact that I believe Sen. Dole is an admirable man, a patriot and a capable legislator does not mean I agree with him on policy matters or that I would support his campaign any more than my respect for Mr. Hardy prevents me from disagreeing with the conclusion he reached in his column. And neither does the fact that I admire Sen. Dole diminish my tremendous personal respect for President Clinton.
President Clinton has proved himself an exemplary commander in chief and a leader whose core beliefs and dreams are shared by millions of middle-class Americans. That is why I support his re-election. I also greatly admire Sen. Dole, even though I disagree with him on most of the major issues of the day.
The positions are not contradictory. Indeed, politics and journalism alike might be better served by their practitioners learning to respect and disagree with their opponents at the same time.
