The Courier-Journal • The. Forum • Sunday, April 29, 2001
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THE COURIER-JOURNAL • THE. FORUM • SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2001 ONE OF AMERICA'S OUTSTANDING COUPLES Like a carnivorous cat of the eign policy chairman. This kind perplexing monolith. What a jungle, it appears that your editor of relationship is in the job resource for the future of our ial staff has laid in the tall grass of description. The implications commonwealth. The sinister pseudo objectivity waiting to find regarding the shipping business implications regarding the secre an excuse to leap upon of Elaine Chao's father, James cy of the McConnell Center Kentucky's first political couple, Chao, are outrageous. This gra donors are pejorative at best. Sen. Mitch McConnell and cious, modest and hard-working Bear in mind two points: It is not Secretaiy of Labor Elaine Chao. man is the very embodiment of uncommon for major donors to Inspired by an article authored by the American dream. God save us wish to remain anonymous for liberal Democratic operative John if having schoolmates who rise to fear of becoming targets for Judis in the leftist house organ prominence in their native coun- everyone with a cause. And, the New Republic, you take tiy is a negative. Of course James remember, Wendell Ford was our intellectual license to weave a Chao maintained his friendship senior senator when the center pattern of way-out-there circum with Zemin, only the most unrea was initiated, and some benefac stantial evidence to imply that sonable person would have avoid tors did not want to incur the McConnell and Chao are the tools ed that t>TDe of relationship. wrath of such a powerful Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao of Communist leaders in China. The IVIcConnell Center slander Democrat. You even cast aspersions on the really floats my boat. Your editor The complaint that Chao pur of her lifetime. Comparing Chao's distinguished McConnell Schol ial writers give credence to the posely left off her resume her action to the acts of Hillary ars program, which has educated axiom that no good deed goes brief seivice on a board of a com Clinton is like comparing Mother more than 100 of our best and unpunished. What nation in this pany with connections to Teresa to Cnaella de VUle. brightest with full-ride grants world will have the greatest politi Mainland China is to not under This is one of America's out since its inception. cal, military, economic and social stand this marvelous lady's per standing couples. Most thinking Allowme to muddy your preju influence on United States policy sonality. Like her parents, she is Kentuckians are bursting with diced waters with fact. The vast over the next generation? The extremely modest. Her service to pride over Mitch and Elaine majority of U.S. senators voted answer is obvious, China. All of that company was insignificant, McConnell. Based on your for most-favored-nation status for us should take pride in the fact and she is not one to build her recent editorials, your group China. McConnell's vote in this that young people from resume by reiterating for the could easily be identified with case was not pivotal. 1 am proud Kentucky, by having six-weeks, record eveiy cup of coffee she racial xenophobia, an affliction that our senior senator and his allexpense-paid trips to China, ever had with someone of sub becoming common among liber -wife were in a position to meet may be among the most prepared stance. Frankly, her list of accom al hypocrites. privately with Chinese leader of their peer group to map the plishments is so awesome that to Jiang Zemin, both here and in the strategics and accept the chal add eveiything to the list would WILLIAM A. STONE Louisville 40201 PRC. McConnell is a Senate for lenges posed to us by this most [diminish the tiiily important work THE COURIER-JOURNAL • THE FORUM • SUNDAY. APRIL 29. 2001 Trr READERS' FORUM / •$. McConnell has long enough Praise for A1 Cross mands in exchange for millions self-promotion. Wejust don't another of his demands. of dollars of contributions like It. For example, Jefferson McConnell demands that sum had his way through bully tac Thank goodness for report raised by 1ii.i. This is a recipe County Fiscal Court adopted mer-study foreign travel by tics and intimidation. We citi ers like A1 Cross. How else for bad ethics. It's common an ordinance a few years ago. McConnell scholars take place zensof Kentuclty andthe USA would average citizens like sense that mixing academics, that prohibited the naming of In China and nowhere else.... all have the right to know myself everknowwhat is real paitisan politics and business county parks and works In In response, McConnell has what is goingon in a state uni lygoingon inWashington? moneyis vjjy likely to produce honor of people still Ihnng— accused Judis of bad journal versity program. There may be It seems as though Sen. a rotten-tasting stew. But that demand wasn't ism. Let the'readers decide for absolutely no unproprieties In Mitch McConnell's scorn to The most obvious of McCon-'; enough for McConnell. There themselves, I saj?/ volved here, in which case we ward Cross should have been neil's demands was that the are more. It's pretty clear that Evetybne gives into money, will all be wiser for knowing directed more toward The university Jt;me the academic he also demands that the uni some of my friends have been the McConnell Center for Po NewRepublic, since it first re center, supported laigely byhis versity keep the names of his telling me. It's the way of the litical Leadership enjoys a ported Elaine Chao's Chinese fund-raising, for himself, hence, contnbutors a secret. And, on world. Perhaps so. But I'm sure dean bill of health. But, clean involvements. the McConnell Center. Ifs his top of that, it's pretty clear that we have a right to expect or otherwise, we citizens and As a Universi^ ofLouisville money, sc. /hy shouldn't he that McConnell oiemands sig much higher ethical behavior taxpayers deserve to know. alumnus, I find it disappoint milk theuniversity's good repu nificant authority over the I'm glad to see The C-J from our universities. If not standing up for what is right! I ing that the university allows tation for career-enhancing McConnell's Center's program from them, then fiiomwhom? such a secretive entity as the publicity, he musthave figured and its activities. would dso add that it is going to take a lot of explaining and McConnell Center. If not for It sounds-; >rettytacky, to say Now, New Republic! senior TOM LOUDERBACK " reporters like'Cross, we might the least, butthe university aj^- . editor John Judis has written a . LxMJisville 40205 convincing for me to believe provocative article that sug- that Elaine Chao "inadvertent be singing "My Old Beijtng parently reasoned that the pos^< ly" omitted disclosure of her Home" Saturday instead of sibility of embarrassment was fests McConnell is in all likeli- Bravo,C-/ ' "MyOld Kentucly Home." worth McC'irneirsmonqr. • ood funneling contributions service as director of-a com ; ; Ironically, there are some- from-political-supporters of' •• Bravo to'The Courier-Jour pany with closeties to the Chi J0HNC.6ARRETT significantIndications that the MFN (most favored nation) nal for its editorial position nese government. Louisvilte 40205 citizens of Kentucky do not status for China to the McCon -vis-'a-vis the Chao-McConnell MATTDAILEY approve cf such shameless nell Center in exchange for controversy. Sen. Mitch Louisville 40241 Attack 'deplorable' Regarding your April 25 edi torial, 'Time to come clean," I 'COULDTHERE BE A HIDDEN AGENDA HERET believe when I was in the me dia, we referred to this kind of John Judis' 6,700-word dia of policy papers and hostednu years of senior-level military state-owned enterprises, and attackas "yellowjournalism." tribe against The Heritage merous conferences and panel experience, a Ph.D., and spe-f not from private businesses. McConnell and I do not al Foundation and Elaine Chao, discussionsto make that point. cial expertise in the area of ex-i To suggest that our policies ways read from thesame pag^ published Iy The Courier-Jour The Courier-Journal editorial port controls to China. are swayed by corporate con but faime^ and beingresponsi nal on Apru 22, is an extraor board has receded copiesof ev- 4. Judis also suggests we tributions is ludicrous. Last ble on the part of the press dinary combmatlon of fabrica eiy one of those papers. were all but silent during the. year, for example, corporate should bewritten in stone. tion, rumor and Innuendo. 2. We have always favored recent EP-3 incident. We were contributions from all sources I think the attack on McCon Even the aritUor admits be has trade with China, but have anything but silent —and any amounted to just 4 percent of nell and Elaine Chao is deplor thing but soft. No, we didn't "no evidence" to support his consistently pointed out that our total income. We would no ableand youshouldapologize. thesis. Yet The Courier-Journal America's relationship with suggest dropping a 100,000 more jeopardize our independ China is not one-dimensional, megaton letter of apology on WILUAM D.GORMAN considers it worthy of publica ence and reputation for these Mayor tion. Coulc 'vhere be a hidden based on trade alone. China's downtown Beijing. But we did agenda here? militaiy modernization, expan surest a hard line U.S. posi contributions than The Couri Cityof Hazard er-Journal would sell its soul Hazara Ky.41701 For the record, here are the sion and belligerence, Tai tion.