Letters: Apr. 7, 2003

Bound for Baghdad

"Tommy Franks is a leader with the vision, wisdom and courage to guide our armed forces to victory at this watershed moment in history." J. DAVID MOSS Ocala, Fla.

TIME's profile of General Tommy Franks convinced me that he is the right man in the right place at the right time [COVER STORY, March 17]. Unlike Generals Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, who failed to topple Saddam Hussein during the 1991 Gulf War, Franks will most certainly see the battle to the finish. NELSON MARANS Silver Spring, Md.

I was stunned by the cover story. It gave the impression that rather than going to war, the U.S. was off to the Super Bowl, with Tommy Franks as our grizzled football coach. War is not a spectator sport; it is a gruesome, horrific process. And it might be less likely if the media did not so enthusiastically portray the warriors and their machines. DANIEL L. COX San Francisco

What an excellent report by Michael Duffy and Mark Thompson! General Franks is an outstanding leader of men, especially enlisted soldiers. I know from firsthand experience, having served close to him as General John Tilelli's driver during the Gulf War. Franks always kept our morale high with his great stories and humor. MIKE BALERO San Diego, Calif.

--For some readers, the cover close-up of General Tommy Franks triggered a flashback to an earlier war. "Your cover reminded me of a picture of President Lyndon Johnson planning the Vietnam War," remarked a Minnesotan. "I pray that the likeness is only a coincidence." "History repeating itself?" asked a Wisconsin woman uneasily. "I hope not." A man in North Carolina felt certain in his assessment: "The resemblance is a reminder that invading Iraq and getting involved in nation building may result in another quagmire."

Lonely at the Top

President Bush failed in his final attempt to gain U.N. support for war against Iraq [NATION, March 17]. He alienated those who would have supported him in a more cautious, multilateral approach to disarming Saddam Hussein. There are two kinds of people who walk alone against the tide of majority opinion. One is brave and has enormous integrity. The other is mad and walks into disaster. Bush, I fear, is the latter kind. He has made our nation a pariah. KAREN SILVER New York City

I can't understand why the Americans and the British wanted U.N. approval before doing away with Saddam Hussein. As the sole superpower and its closest ally, they shouldn't have felt the need to get approval to free the citizens of Iraq from Hussein's grip. ELIE SMITH Paris

The diplomatic clock ran out? When did the diplomacy even begin? Threatening that war is about to start and trying to bribe nations into supporting U.S. aggression don't constitute diplomacy. Bullying is the usual name for those tactics. BARBARA BRANHAM Portland, Ore.

War's Awesome Act I