Netlets for Wednesday, Feb. 6

There is much to like about Barack Obama, and his recent surge in the Democratic primaries is encouraging.

This is not because of his race, which in a presidential contest is, ultimately, a superficial detail. Simply put, Obama is a much stronger candidate than Hillary Clinton, and I think that he would make a better president. That said, I believe that Obama needs to rethink his position on Iraq. Here's why:

Military leaders often speak of "the facts on the ground." The facts on the ground are that, like it or not, we're in Iraq. The situation there is still unstable, but our presence is helping to bring a degree of stability. If we stay the course, that trend is likely to continue, but if we withdraw our troops, as Obama advocates, the country will almost certainly descend into chaos, and it's likely that some very unsavory people will ascend to power. That wouldn't be good for the Iraqi people, it wouldn't be good for our national security and it wouldn't be good for the international community.

DAN BECK, MINNEAPOLIS

Kennedy claim of charisma is a Catch-22 What is Caroline Kennedy going to say to her daughters the day after the Democratic National Convention if Barack Obama gets the presidential nomination and not Hillary Clinton?

Both Obama and Clinton are intelligent and educated. Clinton has significantly more experience. She delayed a presidential run in order to increase her skills as a senator. According to Kennedy, Obama has more "charisma."

In U.S. society what would a woman with "charisma" look like? Chances are a woman with "charisma" wouldn't have intelligence, or at least better hide it. Ditto for education.

MARY DRABIK, SHOREVIEW

About Obama's bona fides Will someone please explain why Barack Obama is called an African-American when his mother, who solely raised him, was a European-American? If his African heritage is considered to be superior to his European heritage, would that be racism? Or if his paternal parentage is considered to be superior to his maternal parentage, would that be sexism?

GIRTS JATNIEKS, MINNEAPOLIS

To those who have little, will governor give less? Is Gov. Tim Pawlenty trying to solve another state budget deficit on the backs of the poor?

More than 1 million Minnesotans are living in poverty, yet Pawlenty said last month the state needs to stop "overemphasizing" health care and social services and shift its spending priorities. Unfortunately, the state is far from meeting the needs of its most vulnerable low-income families.

• Thousands of Minnesotans are losing their homes to foreclosure.

• Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are visiting food shelves.

• Thousands of Minnesota children and their parents are skipping meals or cutting the size of their meals due to a lack of money for food.

• Many Minnesotans are still recovering from catastrophic floods.

• Unemployment is rising; the state lost 23,000 jobs in the past six months.

This is not the picture of a robust state economy that is "overemphasizing" a strong safety net for its poorest citizens.

We hope the governor will exert his leadership to find more creative solutions to the state's budget deficit, rather than propose swift cuts to those who have the least.

JESSICA L. WEBSTER, ST. PAUL, POLICY ADVOCATE, LEGAL SERVICES ADVOCACY PROJECT

We once gave peace a chance Katherine Kersten almost had me convinced that we need a Peace Department ("In a violent world, Ellison dreams of Peace Department," Jan. 30). But I'm going to wait until there is someone competent in the administration. What is clear is that what we are doing now is not working.

Add to her trouble list Sudan, Iraq, Korea (where we are still at war, officially), Bosnia and Afghanistan. The United States has never fared well against insurgencies or being the world's cop, but Japan and Germany are witnesses to the fact that we once knew how to make peace.