To the editor:

When I assign my students persuasive papers to write and the papers come back to me without any arguments, examples or studies supporting their positions, I usually hand the papers back with the words “incomplete” or “unsatisfactory” written at the top of the page.

If your Sept. 22 editorial column, “Sen. John Kerry and his campaign are sharpening their attacks on President Bush,” had come across my desk, I would have written both of these adjectives at the top. Were Mr. Kerry’s criticisms inaccurate? If so, which ones and why? Criticizing Mr. Kerry for criticizing Mr. Bush is rather silly if you don’t bother to address the substance of Mr. Kerry’s comments.

Of course Mr. Kerry could be more specific about what he intends to do in Iraq, but so could Mr. Bush. If you agree with Mr. Bush that the occupation is going well and that Iraq is moving nicely to becoming a democracy, then please give some examples and evidence, not just platitudes.

It’s not hard to understand why you might not be eager to make this case given the current situation in Iraq. As reported in the Journal-World on the very same day as your column, a U.S. National Intelligence Council presented President Bush this summer with several bleak scenarios concerning Iraq, one of them envisioning civil war before the end of 2005.

Can our own democracy handle a little criticism of our leaders in these dangerous times? Of course it can. It might even do us some good.

Doug Nickel,

Lawrence