This afternoon Young sent the following message to President Bush:

Mr. President,
Please learn from recent history. Cold war has proven more effective than hot war in achieving the goals of the United States. It beat the Soviet Union - a fortiori it will be more than enough for Iraq. In the meantime it will allow us to concentrate our energies on the much more ominous threat of terrorism within the United States. Don't take your eye off the ball!

I therefore recommend conducting a cold war against Saddam Hussein and his supporters in Iraq. It is cheaper, more beneficial to our economy, more likely to gain unqualified support and more likely to succeed in the long term. It frees us to act in those areas where action is more essential.

Your arguments on behalf of hot war are unconvincing.

I object to your comparison of those who protest a hot war to the sort of stupid "focus group" used by corporations to make product decisions. This deprecation of widespread popular sentiment made you sound like one of the old Kings of France or the Czars of Russia.

In my opinion, the protests represent the true heart and soul of America and its genuine collective wisdom - certainly more than so-called scientific polls of small groups of people.

Daniel Young

Not even two minutes later, Mr. Auto Responder from the White House Office of E-Correspondence took time from his busy schedule to send the following reply:

"Thank you for emailing President Bush. Your ideas and comments are very important to him."

"For up-to-date information about the President and his policies, please check the White House web site at www.whitehouse.gov."

"Unfortunately, because of the large volume of email received, the President cannot personally respond to each message. However, the White House staff considers and reports citizen ideas and concerns."

"Again, thank you for your email. Your interest in the work of President Bush and his administration is appreciated.
Sincerely,
The White House Office of E-Correspondence"