Armstrong’s dishonesty could be a product of the times

While I do not condone Lance Armstrong’s attempt to at least partially blame the fans and the media for his cheating and lying, I do think there is some merit to his claim [“Armstrong admits he lied about doping,” page one, Jan. 18].

He started his doping at a time when we had a president who was equivocating as to whether or not he had sex with an intern. He continued through a period of testosterone-fueled wars of intimidation which in some respects were engaged in to reclaim and assert “American Exceptionalism.”

No pun intended, but perhaps he was just a product of the times, with a win-at-any-cost mentality that continues to some extent even today. And it may be that we find him so repulsive because he is an unwanted and accurate reflection of us.

--Karen Ann DeLuca, Alexandria, Va.