Inbox

The TIME 100
You went nearly halfway round the globe to find someone who would substantiate the addition of George W. Bush to your list [May 12]. Bush has little worldwide credibility, and a record 70% of the American public no longer supports his policies. By what reasonable measure is he one of the world's 100 most influential people?
Jeff Clark,
Churchville, New York

As a person with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), I am outraged that TIME would regard Bob and Suzanne Wright as heroes. Their group, Autism Speaks, which does not have anyone with an ASD on its board, has joined with Cure Autism Now as part of a campaign to wipe out ASDs. Autistic spectrum disorders are not diseases, and I think I speak for many when I say we are happy the way we are. Autism is a genetic difference in the same vein as skin color, gender and other such factors.
Phil Gluyas,
Melbourne

What a disappointment. your 100 influential people included not a single significant thinker or philosopher. Is this indicative of the level of interest in ideas in our time? You should have titled the issue "100 most media-visible celebrities."
Deborah Cao,
Stretton, Queensland

Congratulations on a superb selection. It was made even more fascinating by the people you chose to write about your most influential 100, many of whom are influential themselves. The pairings made it more like the TIME 190.
Graeme D. Anderson,
Masterton, New Zealand

Cate Blanchett is a tremendously appealing actress. If only she would stay away from politics! Her piece on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd trumpets her naïve, politically oh-so-correct attitudes. Rudd may turn out to be a great PM, but nothing he has done so far suggests so. The two actions Blanchett rhapsodizes about were purely symbolic and devoid of practical value. Saying sorry to Aborigines for past injustices does nothing to address the present woeful condition of many indigenous communities. And signing the Kyoto Protocol will make no real difference to the environment. It simply creates the impression that something is being done.
Bill Martin,
Valentine, New South Wales

I'm a geography professor striving to get students to think globally, and I find your list to be disappointing. Tim Russert, Suze Orman, Miley Cyrus, et al., among the "most influential people in the world"? Really? The world is home to about 6.6 billion people, and Americans account for less than 5% of that total. Are your choices really apt for a global community?
John A. Alwin,
Fircrest, Washington

I applaud your choice of Nancy Brinker. In 1977 my mother died after losing a long battle with breast cancer. I had just celebrated my 12th birthday and thought my life was over. I wanted to do something to help find a cure, but dealing with the loss of my mother was overwhelming. Brinker has immeasurably helped those who suffer from the disease and the friends and family who suffer along with them.
Andrew Halley,
Layton, Utah

How could you have overlooked Pope Benedict XVI?
Henry Van Wassen,
Pittsburgh

It's too bad you couldn't find space for people like Mark Steyn, the conservative commentator, Waris Dirie, the Sudanese-born campaigner against female genital mutilation, or Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch MP threatened with death for criticizing Islam. Their influence is vital and their words essential.
Bruce Morley,
Auckland

Aren't there any writers in the world apart from Tom Stoppard? Where are the new Kerouacs and Salingers or Françoise Sagans? Aren't there any poets or painters? Is there only room for media kings, politicians and multimillionaires these days?
B. Loefquist,
Gothenburg, Sweden

I heard several French TV and radio commentators lamenting that you had failed to include President Nicolas Sarkozy. Thank you! Sarkozy doesn't need to boost his already inflated ego. And it's way too early to tell if his actions will have any impact on France or the world.
Anne Bouffet,
Nice, France

I am glad to see Taiwan's newly elected President Ma Ying-jeou named by TIME as one of the world's most influential people. My generation of Taiwanese has seen many changes since 1987, the year Taiwan abolished martial law. We don't mind change. When it comes to China, a risk tamed may be a reward captured for Taiwan.
Song Xiaowen,
Zhongli City, Taiwan

I found your choice of the Dalai Lama ironic. It seems that his influence has failed him at the very point on which he most wants it to have an impact. How influential, then, can he really be?
Sadia Khan,
New Delhi

Let me be the first to say "why didn't you include [my favorite person]?"
Paul Merrill,
Littleton, Colorado

Fight to the Finish
Re the contest for the democratic nomination [May 5]: Joe Klein has said that that the African-Americans who support Barack Obama will sulk and stay home if Hillary Clinton is nominated. What does he think we women feel? We have waited all our lives to see one of us — qualified, experienced and capable — run in the national election with a chance of winning. Still, I don't think the divides among Democrats are too difficult to bridge. We are not so unwise as to sulk, stay home or vote for John McCain.
Cecilie Bodnar,
Canandaigua, New York

Feeling the Pain
As an obstetrician who has always encouraged women to deliver babies the safest — yet hardest — way, I applaud you for your article on the rise of C-sections in Asia [March 31]. It conveyed well the life philosophy behind natural birth. However, I object to the image of "stupefied" or "groggy" patients on the operating table. Cesareans are normally done under spinal anesthetic — the woman is fully awake and numb from the lower ribs to the toes. She is aware of what's happening and very much "there" when her baby is born. Still, many hospitals in Asia do administer general anesthetic rather than this more targeted version, which is not a good idea.
Sally Ferguson,
Hong Kong

The State of Iraq's Army
"When Will They Be Ready?" is the wrong question [May 12]. The U.S. pays for the service of Iraqi soldiers and gets a weak return for low pay and very little inspiration. An army can become strong only when it is instilled with a sense of pride. And that cannot grow while the U.S. calls the shots. It can grow only when the U.S. summons the courage to let go of Iraq.
Paul Sievers,
Munich

It's been over five years since Bush's "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. When are the generals and the Administration going to stop lying about all the "progress" made by the Iraqi forces? The situation grows worse by the day, as members of the Iraqi forces either desert, join the opposition, or refuse to fight. The Iraqi government will never take responsibility until it is forced to. Our troops should leave now. This would force the Iraqi government and armed services to take on that responsibility or die trying.
Bruce McPhee,
West Yarmouth, Massachusetts

I believe the Iraqis will be ready when they have their own air power. No modern army can succeed without air reconnaissance, weapon deployment or the rapid recovery of the injured. U.S. forces would not go on a mission without air support. But it seems the U.S. has no plans to allow the Iraqis a fully equipped air force.
Paul Schrader,
Sandwich, Massachusetts

Is China Getting a Fair Shake?
In "Why China's Burning Mad," peaceful protests by Chinese were denoted as "virulent nationalism" with little serious reflection on the nature of the protesters' beliefs [May 5]. The suggestion that such protests are a result of government propaganda or education is misleading. In fact, thousands of overseas Chinese, who are not affected by any so-called "patriotic education," marched in streets to make their voices heard. The root cause of so much dissatisfaction among the Chinese people is the sense of being treated unfairly by Western media. There is a great need for the Western media, the Chinese government and its citizens to have constructive dialogues to build a mutual understanding. After all, the West needs China as much as China needs the West.
Zhong Guo Ren,
singapore

It's astonishing to me how many in China seem incapable of acknowledging the plight of Tibetans. India has dozens of insurgencies, but its democratic politics have largely accommodated such dissent. China crushed Tibet, squelched its culture and forced the Dalai Lama into a sad exile. It continues to demonize him even after he has decried the violence in Lhasa. The Chinese point fingers and accuse the outside world of trying to ruin their Olympic coming-out party, but, instead of intimidating dissidents, they should properly consider the legitimate grievances of people in their own country.
R.R. Sami,
Tiruvannamalai, India