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Many are realizing, as did the international community, that President Bush misled us about the necessity for war against Iraq.
He led us to believe that Saddam Hussein was connected to 9/11, that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, that we knew their location, that Saddam had links with al-Qaida, and that Saddam would pass WMD to terrorists. Can anyone forget the president's assertion that, with Saddam Hussein in power, the next terrorist attack could result in a mushroom cloud over one of our cities?
It was a campaign of disinformation and fear.
Both Republican and Democratic congressmen are demanding an explanation for the above, and for how the president so underestimated the troops and money necessary to secure and rebuild Iraq. Others are calling for the firing of Defense officials Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz, but fingers are pointed at the wrong people.
Responsibility for this war resides with the president and cannot be shared with or attributed to his advisors. Responsibility cannot be delegated. President Bush is the commander in chief.
Against international opposition and protests by many Americans, and under false pretenses, President Bush launched a war against Iraq. This was unnecessary and dangerous for our national security and international stability.
With this invasion, President Bush made the United States a pariah nation. If not for fear of our military and economic power, we would be condemned by friends and foes alike.
But it is a done deed, and we must ante up in human and monetary costs necessary to finish the job. Anything less would insult our fighting men and women, and especially those who have paid with their lives.
God bless America and our armed forces. President Bush has failed this great nation and those under oath to defend her.
Bob Straight
Stafford