The American Spectator

Reader Mail

(Page 2 of 18)

br> San Antonio, Texas /p> p> I agree that our President is a good man who deserves our support. The amount of criticism and absolute cruelty directed his way is unconscionable. What can ordinary citizens do to counter this criticism? br> -- Dr. Verna Benner Carson /p>

While reading Mr. Stein's article I was waiting, breathlessly, for him to arrive at the logical conclusion of all his arguments about how the media are lynching the president. Mr Bush was correct to go into Iraq.

Mr. Stein needs to make that one final step and I believe he will find peace as to some extent he is a tortured soul. That final step is to understand that the Iraq war is not a blunder, a mistake and a huge misstep by Mr. Bush.

Why is the Iraq war not a blunder? It goes back to many things. First and foremost the festering sore of a UN unable to follow through on its own resolutions. Secondly, like a Darfur and a Rwanda where the U.S. was and is being criticized for not doing something, Saddam was up there with his atrocities. The payment of money to families who send their children into Israel to blow up innocent people and themselves. Yes, the WMD threat. All intelligence agencies, the Security Council as well agreed that he had them and that, based on past activities, he would use them. His pursuit of nuclear weapons which could be passed on to others. Then, and this is important, even in hindsight and not known at the time, the exposing of the oil for food debacle, to say the least, which was driving the inability of the UN to follow through on its resolutions because half of the security council were in bed with the murderer. The best example of unintended consequences. Then the no fly zone violations after his defeat in his Kuwait adventure.

All the above can be dismissed and replaced by the destruction of the Afghanistan Taliban and the logical next step, the democratization of both Iraq and Afghanistan. Why Iraq and not just Afghanistan? Simply because the foreign policy of the U.S. had been one of stability at all costs which meant supporting dictators as the trade off. Bush overturned the Yalta syndrome and put forth a policy of non support of dictators. Either the UN resolutions had meaning or did not have meaning.

p>Now Mr. Stein can find peace and with all his correct and courageous rationale as to what the media are doing he can now add the fact that he has finally seen the light about how the Middle East can and should be transformed. br> -- Peter J. Paola /p>

In a dubious defense of Bush, Ben Stein states, "But we all know we are getting out soon." Who does he think is responsible for us "getting out" and getting out "soon" (if that is even possible at this point)? Getting out is certainly not going to be credited to the Bush defenders and collaborators. This war will end only because of the persistence of its critics in congress and the American populace. And, with no thanks to Mr. Stein.

topics:
Taxes, Foreign Policy, Education, Trade, Mainstream Media, Business, Religion, Islam, Global Warming, Books, Constitution, Law, Military, Iraq, Israel, NATO, Africa, Socialism, Nuclear Weapons, Oil, Unions