I sent this to about 15 papers including all the local ones in my area; graphic not included. ;)
I am writing in reference to President Bush's latest speech. His speech did nothing to assuage my fears of our continued involvement in Iraq. He has no exit plan. The U.S. occupation is fueling a growing insurgency. Our presence is exacerbating the problem. There are tens of thousands of insurgents backed by hundreds of thousands of supporters.
We are not any safer than we were after 9-11. In fact, the number of terrorist attacks has only increased. He has handed Osama Bin Laden exactly what he wanted in invading Iraq. He has created generations of terrorists where previously there were none. President Bush miscalculated horribly. $200 billion dollars and almost 1,800 lives later, we know that Iraq was not the threat that the Republican leaders made it seem. Furthermore, and most disturbing, it seems that it did not matter since the Downing Street Memos show that that President Bush had already decided to go to war regardless of the intelligence. He and other Republican leaders are out of touch with reality and seem to think that optimistic catch phrases will suffice when dealing with a public for whom they obviously have no respect.
Here is a reality check. We are not progressing in Iraq. Osama Bin Laden is still alive and free. The economy is not recovering. We are saddled with a huge deficit. Jobs are scarce. Health care costs continue to rise. The environment continues in peril. What will it take for America to wake from this nightmare? It is time to turn the page on this sad chapter in American history.
