Letters to the Editor: Dec. 7

Bush in touch with Americans

So our friends on the Leftist-controlled media would love to assure us that President Bush is “embattled,” out of touch with the American people and has low approval ratings.

Oh?

They also assure us there was “propaganda” planted by the U.S. in Iraq papers to pretend that Iraqis support the war and have confidence when they don’t.

Oh?

First of all, President Bush is the most in touch with Americans as any president we have had since Reagan. Period.

Second, far from being embattled, he is out there fighting for right and standing for right and the American people approve except in the blather of the captive Leftist media.

As for propaganda, I don’t believe it. But even if it were true, so what? That has been true in all wars. Remember World War II?

Controlled Hollywood, controlled press, our letters and phone calls spied on and censored?

And never was there a war more mismanaged than the one that most Americans did not support.

After nearly three years we had hundreds of thousands of dead Americans and nothing to show for it ... unlike Iraq where the dictator has been ousted and brought to justice, the brave people came out in droves to vote and they have ratified a real constitution.

Things are A-OK except in the embattled Far Left Media.

Freedom, here we come.

Sharon Faulkner

Portales

Leaving Iraq now will pay off later

The president’s political free-fall comes with a growing consensus that Iraq is a monumental mistake that will haunt us as much or more than Vietnam. So now the talk is turning to the circumstances of withdrawal.

So far the emerging idea is that we can’t just cut and run, having invested so much blood and treasure; we must train the Iraqis to handle their own security. But I think the reality of the situation does not support that ideal, and that in fact the best thing to do is to get out now.

Point: There is going to be civil conflict in Iraq with or without us; it’s out of our hands.

Point: Most, although not all of the armed insurgency is directed at us, which means that when we leave, most of the insurgency will evaporate, leaving a fledgling democracy free to innovate within the norms of their culture, not ours. It will indeed be messy, but far fewer innocent people will die in the streets every day.

But of course it’s unlikely this will happen. Why? Because the timetable for withdrawal is in my view not particularly based on who suffers and dies, but the completion of the dozen-plus permanent American military bases along the oil supply lines. Being built, by the way by Haliburton and others who should be rebuilding the Iraqi infrastructure.

But it’s their country. Their oil. By what right can we do this?

And of course, what part of “stop this insanity” don’t we understand?

Kirby Rowan

Portales