Re: Open Letter to Don Coombs and Tom Trail

["Don H. Coombs" <doncoombs@moscow.com>]

Susan Rounds' comments about the campaign for seat 5A in the Idaho house
are appreciated. It is clear to me now that it probably would be
impossible for one candidate to avoid mean-spiritedness unless both do.
Campaigns feed off each other.

I come out of the 2000 election with a wrenching feeling that things
were not handled fairly in Florida and that it will be a long time
before respect is restored for the U.S. Supreme Court.

But I come out of my little piece of the election with a warm feeling
for Idaho. I was treated kindly by many people, including elected
Republicans such as the Latah County clerk and the Idaho secretary of
state, people you have to deal with if you want to get on the ballot.

The warm feeling does not extend to believing the Idaho Legislature will
just naturally do wise things because it is 89 percent Republican, but
at least some of those Republicans are reasonable people. I hope a
majority are.

Don Coombs