It was encouraging to see that West Virginia University finally did the right thing by revoking the previously awarded master of business administration degree to Heather Bresch, who clearly did not complete the coursework ("WVU Made 'Flawed' Decision," April 24). They acknowledged that it was a flawed and hasty decision that was due, at least in part, to pressure exerted to grant the degree without verifying that the requirements were indeed met.

What I find incredible was West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin's (Ms. Bresch's father) implication that WVU and its leaders were somehow responsible for this fiasco and "the problems that led to it." Had his daughter not claimed to have earned the degree in the first place, none of this would have occurred.

What WVU did initially was reprehensible, but at least it finally corrected its mistake and took responsibility. It will be interesting to see if Ms. Bresch does the same. In the meantime, the Post-Gazette did an amazing job of investigating and chronicling this story and should be commended for its persistence.

PEGGY HOCKSWENDER
Swissvale

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I wanted to thank and congratulate you for some excellent investigative journalism regarding the records falsification story at West Virginia University ("WVU Made 'Flawed' Decision," April 24). I believe that your work over the last several months was responsible for shedding light on the shabby way that the WVU administration abused the public trust and embarrassed the institution, the students and the alumni.

What I find to be the saddest part of this story is that the people involved either did not realize the wrongness of their actions or they believed they could get away with them. When viewed from either perspective, a failure of morality is evident.

I am amazed at the audacity of the West Virginia governor, who has insinuated that his daughter was singled out and attacked by an out-of-state newspaper. He should condemn the special treatment that his daughter sought and received from the president of the university, Michael Garrison. The newspapers in West Virginia should follow your example and question authority instead of functioning as a mouthpiece for the political establishment of the state.

I would encourage your editor to nominate your work for some type of award for investigative journalism, like the Worth Bingham Prize, and wish you luck in the winning of it!

MARTIN HURD
Vienna, Va.

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Shouldn't there be a law, written or understood, that if the president of the United States has less than a 40 percent approval rating of the people in the country in his or her last year of office, news conferences will not be aired nationally?

Why should the majority have to listen to a loser just because he or she is the president? Respect is to be earned, not just bestowed because of a title. This is the United States of America, not some kingdom.

TOM GALOWNIA
Cecil

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Regarding "Discouraging Words" (April 24 letters): Linda S. Bodnar, an inspector of elections at a small precinct in Armstrong County, said she left the polling place feeling heartsick due to comments from Republicans and Democrats. Hillary Clinton was referred to as the "B" word and Barack Obama as the "N" word. These gender and racial remarks are so common in our culture and could be described as "hate speech."

As a baby boomer I do not know very much about Mr. Obama. I was turned off in 1992 by Hillary Clinton and then-Gov. Bill Clinton, presidential candidate, by their comments on "Nightline" with Ted Koppel. Bill said his slogan might well be, "Buy one get one free." Hillary said, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life."

Also in 1992 on "60 Minutes," when she was questioned about Bill's infidelity (Gennifer Flowers), Hillary said, "I'm not some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette." Fast forward to 1998 on the "Today" show defending Bill against the Monica Lewinsky allegations and blaming a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

If these are not sexist and elitist remarks, what is?

It is time for a third party. An independent party needs to have recognition in primary elections.

JANICE M. WHITE
DuBois, Pa.

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It is not surprising that columnists Charles Krauthammer and Jack Kelly decided to weigh in on the nonsense that has pervaded the Democratic Party primary recently ("The Distractions Reveal the Real Character of This Pretender," April 26, and "The Man Behind the Curtain," April 27, respectively).

Since more than 80 percent of the country thinks we're on the "wrong track," they certainly don't want to revisit their support for the policies that have resulted in the current sad state of affairs. In fact, I'm quite sure that the Republican Party would love for the debate to center on these peripheral and relatively meaningless "issues." A focus on its failed ideas and incompetence is the last thing the GOP wants.

However, once the word gets out, I don't think the party is going to be all that keen to bring up "character" issues either. Here are just two of the many problems John McCain has in this area: He has sought out and embraced religious extremists including minister John Hagee, who gained notoriety for attributing Hurricane Katrina to punishment from God for a gay rights parade and has likened the Catholic Church to a "false cult system." More recently it has been revealed that a McCain friend and campaign contributor, Donald Diamond, received the senator's assistance in purchasing land on the Pacific Coast from the U.S. Army following the closure of Fort Ord. Mr. Diamond purchased the land for $250,000 and sold it two years later for $20 million.

Since character, policies and competence aren't likely to work, it will be interesting to see what the right-wing noise machine resorts to next in its desperate efforts to help the Republicans hold on to power.

JOE SCHREIBER
Shaler

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