From Mr Shashank Joshi.

Sir, You describe Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate, as a "risky choice" ("Battle of the conventions", editorial August 30). More apt would be to say that this is a "courageous" decision, in Sir Humphrey's sense of the word. Your editorial did not mention that selecting a governor with less than two years in office would immediately undercut the campaign's primary strategy against Barack Obama, which was to label him insufficiently experienced to govern. On Friday morning itself, the New York Times reported that McCain advisers were reacting incredulously to rumours that Mrs Palin was the choice, admitting that "it would make the argument he's making difficult to make".