Emulating Past Presidents

Regarding the Opinion page article "Bush Is Just Bush - Not Harry Truman," Sept. 10: President Bush has said enough about President Truman, and his opponents resent his admiration for Truman. Recently on television, Margaret Truman Daniel, Truman's daughter, seemed offended that Mr. Bush admires her father, and her principal distaste is that Bush is a Republican. When a person is mentioned, it does not always mean that person is a role model. When Vice President Dan Quayle compared his record in the Sena te to that of John Kennedy, he did not indicate that he was like Kennedy at all in appearance, charisma, and social habits - just in his record in the Senate.

We should be free to admire and emulate presidents when we think it appropriate. They "belong to the ages," as it was said of Lincoln. No party owns them now. Virginia Yows, Borger, Texas

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