To the Editor:
In his op-ed on legacy admissions ("Legacy Favoritism: Undermining Merit-Based Admission," August, 19) Patrick Mattimore wrote, "The current President Bush has enjoyed legacy breaks beginning with his admission to Yale clear through to his appointment as commander-in-chief by the Supreme Court in 2000."
While we should all seriously consider the issue of legacy admissions, I wish to address the latter portion of this glib assertion by Mr. Mattimore.
During George W. Bush's first term as president, it has been all too common for partisans such as Mr. Mattimore to make clever witticisms about the controversy following the election itself. I'm writing because I've reached a critical mass of frustration. To hear these things on MTV or on the subway is one thing, from a fellow Dartmouth alumnus is another. Either Mr. Mattimore left Hanover ignorant of how elections and the Supreme Court of the United States function, or he has allowed his dislike for President Bush to distract him from the facts.
The election apparatus in the state of Florida certified Mr. Bush as the winner of the state-wide election in November of 2000. Seeking to have these results overturned, former Vice President Al Gore sued to have the votes recounted in a few selected counties. The Supreme Court ruled against Mr. Gore because his suit would have violated the equal protection rights of citizens in the rest of the state.
The Supreme Court did not appoint George W. Bush President. The Supreme Court does not decide cases brought before it in the "conservative versus liberal" paradigm. President Bush did not steal the election. We do not elect our president by popular vote. Had Mr. Gore sued to have the entire Florida election recounted, he probably would have won his suit, but nevertheless still lost the election. As a few of us may recall, several independent news agencies recounted the ballots after President Bush's inauguration and found that -- regardless of how "liberal" one was in counting hanging chads or the like -- President Bush still came out the winner in Florida.
It's over. Get over it.
