Letters: Jan. 29, 2007

Putting More Troops on the Ground

After almost four years of fighting and more than 3,000 Americans killed in Iraq, President George W. Bush proposed an increase in troop strength to bolster the declining campaign. Readers debated the principle of persevering toward some kind of victory and whether more soldiers can make that happen

TIME asked, "Does Sending More Soldiers To Iraq Make Any Sense?" [Jan. 15]. First, President George W. Bush's opponents claim we don't have enough troops to do the job. Then when indications are that more will be sent, the same folks claim that won't work either. There's no place for such political cynicism, whether it is espoused by congressional Democrats or TIME magazine, when the lives of American troops are on the line.

JOHN JAEGER Irvine, Calif.

"What a Surge Really Means" depicted a growing consensus, even within the President's party, that the Iraq invasion has led to an endless quagmire of violence and destruction. This Administration's judgment cannot be trusted. From the beginning, the White House ignored experienced military leaders and drastically miscalculated the number of troops necessary to achieve our goals. Congress should study the President's proposal hard. Without a vastly superior plan, we are sending only more American targets.

MITCHELL J. FINE El Dorado Hills, Calif.

The key to winning in Iraq is to find ways to instill a unifying sense of nationalism in the country's ethnic, tribal and religious factions. Iraqis could build a first-class military to protect themselves from potential enemies and help defend freedom and liberty throughout the Middle East. They could rebuild their nation into an economic dynamo, just as Japan did after World War II. A united Iraq would have no fear of external threats and would be able to fend off Islamo-fascism from within and without. Baghdad was once the cradle of civilization, and it can rise from the ashes of war and tyranny to become great again.

SERAFIN QUINTANAR JR. Fresno, Calif.

If the U.S. could dismember Muqtada al-Sadr's Shi'ite militia, a positive domino effect would follow. President Bush should tell Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that unless he lets us crush al-Sadr's forces, we'll pull out. Iraq is the strangest war the U.S. has ever fought, in the sense that the Iraqis seem to hate one another more than they hate us.

ERIC HUGHES Olathe, Kans.

It appears that president Bush, the self-described "decider," has elected to ignore the well-respected, bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which recommended the drawdown of American troops from combat in Iraq. He is also ignoring 80% of the American people, who want him to bring the troops home. He has decided to do just the opposite, with a "surge" in troops, which is just spin for escalation. We tried that in the Vietnam War, which ended only when the American people finally woke up and demanded a halt. We must do the same now with this Iraq fiasco because it is very clear that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will never bring it to an end on their own.

JOHN A. QUATRINI Hatboro, Pa.