Issa

Rep. Darrell E. Issa (R-Vista), the grandson of Lebanese immigrants, said he was the victim of racial profiling after being prevented from boarding a flight to the Middle East. Issa said that when he arrived at the Air France counter at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Oct. 4, he was told that "for security reasons," he couldn't board, even after he identified himself as a congressman. He was kept from boarding because of his "Arab surname," he said. But an Air France spokesman said the congressman simply arrived too late.

Federal inspection of the runaway Toyota Prius that took a wild ride on a San Diego County freeway was delayed several hours Wednesday when a California congressman insisted that someone from his office witness the examination. A team of inspectors from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was already at Toyota of El Cajon examining the car -- which reportedly had a stuck accelerator, causing it to speed for half an hour before the driver got it stopped -- when a staffer from the office of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista)

Reading between the lines, it's probably fair to say that Greg Jaczko may not be someone you'd want to work for. As chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, he's been accused of yelling at people, browbeating subordinates and picking fights with his fellow NRC commissioners when he doesn't get his way. That's pretty much the totality of the bill of particulars Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) put out in December in support of a concerted, albeit unsuccessful, campaign to drive Jaczko from his job. (Jaczko has acknowledged that there are strong disagreements within the agency, but vehemently denies being especially tough on women, another charge made by Issa.)

I had to chuckle when I read your May 6 front-page headline "Rep. Issa Launches New Davis Recall." This is the same Issa who assured me while running for his congressional seat in 2000 that the election of George W. Bush would ensure economic opportunity and vitality for our country. After that huge misjudgment, I'm not sure Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) is qualified to assess the relative merits, economically, of any politician or economic policy, for that matter. After two years of the ongoing Bush disaster, it's clear to rational people that Republican multimillionaire businessmen are a large part of the problem, not the solution.

Re "Davis Recall Might Be the Big One That Jolts Pols Off Their Perches," Commentary, July 9: Does Arianna Huffington truly believe that ousting Gov. Gray Davis will send politicians any message other than that the Republicans can continue to get away with nullifying elections when they don't like the results? Does she truly believe that the recall, bought and paid for by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) for (at least) $1.5 million, represents the triumph of democracy over moneyed interests?

Is this a great state or what? Where else can a millionaire married to a Kennedy run as a populist? And why should Arnold Schwarzenegger's candidacy be taken any more seriously than Gary Coleman's? Oh, that's right. He's famous and rich -- the two most important qualifications for serving "the people." Isn't it interesting that rich people who feel suddenly called to "public service" have to start at the top? I'd find Schwarzenegger more convincing if he started at, say, state controller.

WASHINGTON -- Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said Sunday that he will monitor an investigation into allegations that Secret Service agents and members of the military may have been involved with prostitutes while in Colombia last week to prepare for President Obama's participation in the Summit of the Americas. “We will participate in over-the-shoulder investigation,” Issa told CBS' Bob Schieffer on Sunday, saying it was too soon to say whether hearings would be called.

Re "Davis Recall Drive Still Lacking Cash, Credibility," May 8: I voted Democrat for nearly 20 years. This last gubernatorial race prompted me to consider not voting at all. For the GOP, this recall is pure politics to take advantage of declining polls. But I would gladly sign such a petition as a statement of my voter dissatisfaction. I am certain I am not alone in this view. Selby Jessup Los Angeles The boundless hypocrisy of the Republican right never ceases to amaze me. If stories on proposals to cut benefits to veterans, like the heroes of the Iraq war, or the unmasking of yet another conservative moralizer as not so "holier than thou" have failed to turn your stomach, Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Vista)

Re "Record Does Not Support All of Candidate Issa's Claims," July 30: Thank you for detailing Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Vista) devious resume. I'm having trouble understanding the point of spending millions of dollars on an election aimed at replacing an unskilled governor with a crooked one. Where's the net gain for us? Tom Hensley Sherman Oaks The front-page feature on Issa was quite informative. I am always amused by candidates who take a defensive position with the press.

I must add my voice to the June 16 letters concerning the recall effort aimed at our elected governor. What a complete waste of valuable funds and time, and what a clear case of sour grapes. The Republicans, not being content with stealing a presidential election, have tried at the federal level to quash the use of their once-favorite rule, the filibuster. And now, at the state level, they are trying to change the outcome of an election that, thankfully, was not tainted by the disenfranchisement of minority voters, intimidation at the polls or confusing ballots.