THE TRIBUNE'S VIEW
Democrats’ election strategy
By HENRY J. WATERS III, Publisher, Columbia Daily Tribune
Democrats have a chance to make gains in the coming midterm elections. Everybody says so, mainly because of gaffes by President George W. Bush and the Republicans.

JOHN DARKOW CARTOON

OPEN COLUMN
NSA ex-director lays out case for leaving Iraq
Editor, the Tribune: In a recent article titled "Cut and Run? You Bet," former U.S. National Security Agency Director Lt. Gen. William Odom indicates why the United States must get out of Iraq now. 

OPEN COLUMN
Equal protection under law means equal for everyone
Editor, the Tribune: On June 7, 49 U.S. senators attempted to instill discrimination into the Constitution.

OPEN COLUMN
With war in Iraq, Bush is trading blood for oil
Editor, the Tribune: Recently President George W. Bush flew to Iraq, wasting more fuel to try to convince our troops that they were winning the war on terrorism. The truth is that no matter how many terrorist leaders we kill or capture, the conflict will continue as Bush is fighting the systems and not the causes.

OPEN COLUMN
It’s long past time for Bush to meet with North Korea
Editor, the Tribune: How long has Mr. North Korea been asking for talks with Mr. USA? Ever since today’s Mr. USA became president.

OPEN COLUMN
Festival provides fun, feeling of belonging
Editor, the Tribune: On June 24, I attended the fifth annual Community Festival at Prairie Grove Baptist Church, near Exit 133 off the Interstate 70 outer road. 

OPEN COLUMN
All we have to fear is the Bush administration itself
Editor, the Tribune: During World War II, President Roosevelt inspired confidence in the American people, saying, "All we have to fear is fear itself."

OPEN COLUMN
U.N. secretary general wants your tax dollars
Editor, the Tribune: The American people need to speak up, not allow Kofi Annan to put a global tax on them. The G-8 Summit will take place this weekend, and Kofi Annan will be pushing for a global tax. Tell President George W. Bush the American people won’t stand for it. We should withdraw from the United Nations once and for all.

OPEN COLUMN
Surgeon general details secondhand smoke risks
Editor, the Tribune: How strange that a letter to the editor claiming the hazards of secondhand smoke to be baseless and mythical is published in the Tribune (June 27) on the same day that a report is released by the surgeon general providing just the sort of evidence the writer requests. For the writer of that letter and anyone else interested, the report can be found at www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/.

‘American Idol’ fine model for presidential elections
By J. SCOTT CHRISTIANSON
Despite recent comparisons, there is a big difference between electing the next American Idol and electing the president of the United States. When people vote in the "American Idol" contest, every vote counts equally, and whoever gets the most votes wins. Unfortunately, those principles don’t hold true in presidential elections.

Surgeon general hypes secondhand smoke risk
By JACOB SULLUM
Surgeon General Richard Carmona says secondhand smoke is so dangerous that you’d be better off if you stopped going to smoky bars and started smoking instead. "Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke," claims the news release that accompanied his new report on the subject, "has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and increases risk for heart disease and lung cancer."

Ditching damsel distressing
By RANDY COHEN
My cousin and his girlfriend were the victims of an attempted carjacking. Two armed men ordered them into the car. As one assailant was climbing into the back seat on the driver’s side, my cousin grabbed the keys and ran, leaving his girlfriend. He quickly reached an emergency phone, and the police responded within minutes to find that the carjackers had fled, leaving his girlfriend unharmed. Did he do the right thing?

Obligation to inform comes first
The recent disclosure of a secret databank operation by the federal government that tracks terrorist financing has prompted calls to punish reporters and newspapers involved in the disclosure of a confidential anti-terrorist program. The ire comes principally from supporters of President George W. Bush’s administration, who believe the press has no business exposing sensitive information when terrorism still poses a threat to the country. They’re wrong, but the controversy raises delicate questions about the role of the press in a free society, particularly in wartime.

STAY IN TOUCH
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