LETTERS

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Klein quoted a Bush Administration official who said, "We have a moral responsibility to leave Iraq better than we found it." Was that person referring to how we found it before or after the bombing? Before or after the still undisclosed number of civilian deaths and rising count of American casualties? With more patience, diplomacy and forethought than this Administration is capable of, that feat could have been accomplished without destroying the nation we liberated and bankrupting our own. One can only hope that voters will ask the same question next November: Are we better now than when George W. Bush found us?
JERILYN DEPETE
Stroudsburg, Pa.

Credibility Gap
Your article "Chasing a Mirage," ON the search for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) [IRAQ: THE MISSING WEAPONS, Oct. 6], quoted Hans Blix, "You can put up a sign on your door, BEWARE OF THE DOG, without having a dog." Too true. Of course, you can also break into a house knowing full well there is no dog, make off with the valuables or oil reserves, continue to hotly pursue the phantom dog and rationalize your way out the front door. Does that sound too conspiratorial?
AVAN JESIA
Bombay

The U.S. pre-emptively invaded Iraq, claiming it had WMD that posed a threat to U.S. security. What will happen if the U.S. is never able to find these weapons? After thousands of lives have been lost, the Bush Administration won't be able to justify the invasion of Iraq. Who will take moral, legal and financial responsibility for the American troops, Iraqi soldiers and civilians who died in Gulf War II? Who will make George W. Bush and his Administration face the charges? Which court will have the guts to judge them?
ANTHONY VAN NAUSSEN
Hong Kong

Bush talks of Saddam Hussein's deceiving the world, but it is Bush who has misled us. After months of searching, no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons have been found to bolster Bush's central case for going to war. The WMD didn't exist. It is too bad that American troops are paying the price for Bush's arrogance. The superpower's leader may have power but not brains. The world hopes that Bush is not still President after November 2004.
IAN M. DUFF
Everett, Ont.

Each member of the Bush Administration seems to agree on one thing: Don't confuse me with the facts. Only two good things will result from the fiasco perpetrated by the Administration in Iraq. First, the policy of pre-emptive war has been unmasked as folly. Second, the Democrats might actually have a chance of winning next year.
WILLIAM W.B. VEALE
Sao Paulo

President Bush lied to the American people in justifying the war. He trashed the principles for which the U.S. stands. But Bush walks free, runs a presidential campaign and enjoys the support of a large part of the U.S. population. I can't understand how this is possible.
DANY BURIGANA
La Teste de Buch, France

The Billion-Dollar Handout
I salute Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele for their ongoing and aggressive exposure of America's abysmal energy policies [BUSINESS, Oct. 13]. Synthetic fuel is a billion-dollar-a-year corporate tax dodge in the U.S. while it is a viable industry in Canada. That the U.S. has ample resources to produce synfuel instead of importing it from Canada is a national embarrassment. I hope voters, taxpayers and politicians are paying attention. This is an issue that should be in the forefront of the 2004 campaign.
MATTHEW R. BRADLEY
Bethel, Conn.

You called the synfuels tax credit a "$1 billion annual gift to U.S. businesses." The taxpayer foots the bill, while the beneficiaries are the owners of the coal-processing plants who are in the business only for the tax credits, not to reduce America's dependence on foreign energy. This wasteful program is certainly not helping the legitimate coal industry. Canada, with initial government support, has created a legitimate synthetic-fuels industry that has become one of the largest crude-oil producers in North America. There are extensive oil-shale deposits in northeastern Utah that could be developed by strip mining. If $1 billion a year were spent on supporting the development of this resource, the U.S. could have another major source of crude oil. The necessary technology has been developed by Canada. When will our elected government officials stop pandering to the special interests?
RUSSELL F. STOLL
Green Valley, Ariz.

Why doesn't Congress rescind this insidious tax break for manufacturing filthy fuels that pollute our air and scar our land? Our use of 19th century energy sources that damage our environment is a true embarrassment.
DIANE MARIE ANGER
Boca Raton, Fla.