"Whom do we elect?".(Letter to the Editor)

The points raised by Gary Benoit in his perspicacious essay "Whom Do We Elect?" (July 12 issue) were well taken. It is only through the House of Representatives that we can get back to some semblance of constitutional government.

GEORGE B. SOINTU San Francisco, California

"Even if an outsider solidly supportive of the U.S. Constitution could be elected, there is little he could accomplish without a likeminded Congress." Regarding this statement made in the article "Whom Do We Elect?" by Gary Benoit, I beg to differ.

A constitutionalist president can rescind all unconstitutional Executive Orders, not to mention unconstitutional Presidential Decision Directives, and certain other unconstitutional policies. A constitutionalist president can, in a principled and consistent manner, veto all bills, and all budgets (a.k.a. "shutting down the government") passed by Congress that exceed its delegated authority--like President Grover Cleveland did. Let both houses of Congress override his veto, and then let them be fully accountable for all of the consequences. A constitutionalist president can take no military action without a formal declaration of war. As commander-in-chief, he can bring the boys home.

MARK ODELL Sent via email

To suggest that it is virtually futile for a constitutionalist to run for president because a constitutionalist Congress could accomplish so much more, is like saying the John Birch Society (JBS) shouldn't bother publishing a magazine about freedom while the machinery of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is in place. After all, what good could one little magazine do?

When there is a presidential candidate who is in such large agreement with the JBS, and doesn't have his name mentioned even once in your 2004 presidential race cover article, one would wonder whether THE NEW AMERICAN'S mantra hasn't become fossilized. Omitting the candidacy of such a great American because he doesn't fit your formula is in contradiction to your magazine's dedication to highlighting individuals from history who dared to make a difference.