Letters: Mar. 24, 2003

Do You Want This War?

"It doesn't really matter what we want. Bush has made it clear that his decisions are not based on what the people of this country wish." PEYTON HIGGISON Brunswick, Maine

Asking "Do you want this war?" is like saying "Do you want a root canal?" [COVER STORY, March 3]. Most people take care of a problem before it results in severe pain. We can deal with Iraq now or face an even bigger problem later on. BARRY G. BADGER Manheim, Pa.

President Bush's big-stick attitude toward Iraq may resonate with a large segment of the U.S. population, but it shows a serious lack of understanding of what international statesmanship should be about. Bush's approach is alienating friend and foe alike. He is causing irreparable damage. ROSE F. BUSCHMAN Garden City, Kans.

Yes, I want this war with iraq. What country besides the U.S. has the ability and the guts to stand up to the dictators of the world? Were it not for Americans' willingness to fight for freedom, the world would be thrown into total chaos. America is the last great hope for freedom around the globe. WALLACE HALCOMB Williamsburg, Ky.

Bush should read Barbara Tuchman's book The Guns of August, on the events that led to World War I. He does not realize that a war with Iraq would destabilize the Middle East and, as other countries take sides, set the stage for the possibility of World War III. ROBERT J. POHL Lockport, N.Y.

Yes, I want war, and while we're in that awful neighborhood of the Middle East, I want fundamentalist Islam to be crushed and oil profits confiscated as reparation for the Sept. 11 attacks and security costs. Then we Americans should retreat behind our borders absolutely. Those wishing to benefit from the Middle East are welcome to rebuild it themselves. ROBERT C. RHODES New York City

I'm sure that Bush wanted a peacefuL solution as much as the rest of the world did, but he is intelligent enough to know that sometimes that is impossible. PATRICIA MCTAVISH Nevada, Texas

What I want is a president who will spend as much time on the American economy as he appears to spend on making plans for Iraq. I want a President who will take the bull by the horns and deal with health-care issues. RICK GILLIS Houston

I was sure glad to find out that the safety and security of the U.S. are dependent upon the opinions of the leaders of Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Syria, Angola and Bulgaria. JAMES T. TUCHSCHER Long Beach, Calif.

--TIME's cover illustration of President Bush as Uncle Sam drew varied reactions. "The cartoon was disrespectful and offensive," wrote a Cincinnati, Ohio, reader. "Belittling our President is inappropriate at this difficult time for our country." Objecting on an entirely different ground was a Maine man who declared, "Bush does not even come close to having the qualities that I have always attributed to Uncle Sam: honesty, integrity and concern for all Americans." And a 9-year-old Kentucky girl saw an unusual resemblance: "The picture looks amazingly like the actor Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory!"

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