The relevance of first ladies

Regarding the front-page article ''Hillary Clinton Takes a Page From Eleanor Roosevelt Book,'' July 11: I was amazed to read that American University historian Allan Lichtman thinks ''that first ladies are irrelevant to their husbands' reelection chances, even when they have played important policy roles.'' Many components go into a marriage and many more into a presidential election. No matter what a person does (good or bad), is she irrelevant to her spouse's success or failure? I think the statement is baloney.

Nancy Leussler Glendale, Wis.

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