In two letters to the editor published yesterday, Ms. Maurer and Mr.Zimmerman make an argument for the legitimacy of President Bush. While the argument over the election has been exhausted, I will only look at what has happened in the first month of Mr. Bush's presidency, as Ms. Maurer suggests.

Let's focus on how "morally right" and "law abiding" Mr. Bush has been.

On abortion, he has enacted what is essentially a backdoor method of punishing what are completely law-abiding organizations by removing their funding. On foreign relations, he has shown that he is completely willing to ignore a lawful international treaty by creating the national missile defense system (argue all you want that the treaty is useless, until it is disbanded by all parties, it is lawful).

Finally, let's look at his "compassionate conservatism." In a recent independent study of his tax cut measured by percentage of income, the picture is crystal clear.

The lowest income bracket will receive somewhere between 0 to 1 percent back, the middle brackets will receive 2 to 3 percent back, and the richest of the rich get 5 percent back. In other words, Mr. Bush is so compassionate as to help the average poor person with an extra 1 percent.

Woohoo! I know the argument — the rich pay the most, so they should get the most back. Bologna. They also need it back the least. What for? A new Lexus?

Someone making $250,000 a year needs another Lexus like I need a couple of root canals.

What is perfectly clear in just one month is that Mr. Bush is just as cunning and deceitful as any former president; he just sugarcoats it in a different way.