To the Editor:

Re "Fire the Campaign" (column, Oct. 13):

William Kristol argues that John McCain should stop "unveiling gimmicky proposals," "tell the truth," show the "kind of sound judgment and strong leadership," the readiness to be commander in chief "he's shown in his career."

But the problem with Mr. Kristol's advice is that Mr. McCain's campaign is the very reflection of who he is and who he has been for the last 26 years. Unpredictability and going your own way are the essence of "maverick-hood."

Finally, if Mr. McCain isn't able to control his campaign or its message, as Mr. Kristol implies, what kind of commander in chief does that portend?

Bonita Rothman

Staten Island, Oct. 13, 2008

•

To the Editor:

William Kristol is right on the money in advising John McCain to fire his inept campaign, saying "McCain needs to make his case, and do so as a serious but cheerful candidate for times that need a serious but upbeat leader."

At the same time, however, it is critical for Mr. McCain to point out that this election is not about George W. Bush and the past eight years of mistakes, but rather about which candidate the voter trusts to lead the country over the next four years.

Does the country want to elect a man who has shown a total lack of leadership qualities as evidenced by his 130 "present" votes on controversial issues as an Illinois state senator, or does the country require an experienced hand at the helm to solve the domestic and foreign policy challenges to get the nation back on track?

That is the case John McCain must make Wednesday night, or he is toast.

Paul Schoenbaum

Williamsburg, Va., Oct. 13, 2008

•

To the Editor:

One of the main reasons a candidate campaigns for election is to show the people how he or she will govern. Should the McCain campaign take William Kristol's advice, the American people would ask yet again: Who is John McCain?

Is he the man who campaigned a certain way until three weeks before the election, or the man who decided to truly put his country first and behave himself as a last resort, simply because he was losing?

Also, if Mr. McCain were winning with his current campaign of ugly tactics, would Mr. Kristol call on him to fire his advisers and take on a positive, constructive tone? David C. Zweig

Los Angeles, Oct. 13, 2008

To the Editor:

Bob Herbert is right. The G.O.P.'s mask has slipped (column, Oct. 11).

All at once, our country has reached the tipping point where demographic, cultural, scientific and economic realities have "shocked and awed" our country, leaving the G.O.P. — and its "base" — behind.

My children, 26 and 28, see racism, sexism and anti-intellectualism as a kind of traditional insanity. They are alarmed by the McCain-Palin campaign's cynical willingness to fan the flames of destructive rage against a modern, thoughtful multiracial American who is likely to win the presidential election.

I think that what we are now witnessing are "the birth pangs" of a 21st-century American democracy ... and they aren't pretty. Robert Stern

Montauk, N.Y., Oct. 11, 2008

(Random letters from the NYT re McCain's campaign to date)