Your editorial (Aug. 18) on the Ralph Nader campaign was an insult to your readers and to the values you profess. You quote some anonymous Web site as evidence that Nader has virtually no support, while the latest CNN poll shows Nader at 6 percent, a remarkable figure for a candidate who has been ignored by the major media.

A Fox News poll this summer showed that 14 percent of voters would support Nader if they felt he was competitive. If he were allowed in the debates, his unique knowledge and persuasiveness could turn this into a three-way race.

Recent debates have turned on whether a candidate looked at his watch, wore a lapel pin and something about a lockbox. Is it any wonder that this nation has not solved a major social problem in the last 40 years?

In 2004, the Democratic Party attacked Nader's campaign with phony lawsuits and sabotage of petition drives, with the result that Nader was in the ballot in only 35 states. Nonetheless, 57 percent of Americans said they wanted Nader in the Bush/Kerry debates. Nader's campaign is far stronger now and he will be on the ballot in 45 states.

Should voters have a choice on North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Telecom Immunity, single-payer health care, a living wage, and whether to have a full military and corporate withdrawal from Iraq? If the answer is yes, then Nader must be in the debates.

Gregory Kafoury

Portland, Ore.