Letters

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If the war had truly been for the liberation of the Iraqi people, as Bush claimed, he would have been enthusiastically welcomed by cheering multitudes of Iraqis in broad daylight. Instead the President had to sneak into and out of Baghdad in the dark. Pathetic.
ANDY MAHLER
Paoli, Ind.

Mourning in America
In "Why Bush Stays Away," Charles Krauthammer defended President Bush's policy of not attending the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq [Dec. 8]. Of course, it is not feasible for Bush to go to every funeral, but have either Krauthammer or Bush considered President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address? It was given on Nov. 18, 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. Lincoln eloquently honored the fallen soldiers without suggesting any weakness. His words of compassion and hope were not written by a professional speechwriter. Is it too much to expect that Bush will emulate Lincoln's humble example and honor the dead without waiting until the war is over?
HAROLD RICHARD PIEHLER
Lawrence, Kans.

Krauthammer's Commentary was well balanced and intelligent. Soldiers are fighting men and women. Victory or defeat and death are part and parcel of being a military person. I am sure every patriotic American feels the pain when news reaches us that yet another soldier has been killed in the line of duty. But freedom and preservation of our way of life come at a price.
ADI DAMANIA
Woodland, Calif.

As soon as presidential strategist Karl Rove realizes the damage caused the President by his absence from memorial services, a funeral will be found somewhere for Bush to attend.
LANCE COLLINS
Sugar Land, Texas

Rather than being seen as a sign of weakness, might not a President's public acknowledgment of those who died in battle inspire the nation and reassure us that the White House has not lost touch with the reality of the loss of life?
TERESA BROOKS
New York City

Creating New Enemies
Your article "Losing Hearts And Minds" showed that Iraqis have deep grievances against the U.S. [Dec. 8]. Bush's policies have turned Iraqis, Muslims and others who were once only moderately opposed to the U.S. into an ever growing pool of dedicated enemies. It is hard to imagine that groups promising eternal glory to suicide bombers would greet U.S. troops as saviors, but evidently many of the Administration's policymakers believed this is what would happen in Iraq.
STEVE ZOLOTOW
Las Vegas

The Bush Administration must realize that anti-American sentiment will only increase as long as thousands of suspected terrorists are detained, innocent civilians are killed and Iraq's economy is at a standstill. Although a premature departure from Iraq would clearly be a mistake, prolonging the occupation will only cause conditions there to deteriorate. It is ironic that human rights and terrorism, two of Bush's strongest arguments for regime change in Iraq, have worsened or improved only slightly since the U.S. invaded.
JONATHAN N. NICHOLS
Middlebury, Vt.

You reported that U.S. soldiers flattened the house and apricot trees of Laith Klabos and his family, near Tikrit. The photo of him standing in the ruins of his demolished home reminded me of pictures showing the treatment of Palestinians by the Israeli army. Are we following these tactics?
STEVE C. KEMIJI
Sacramento, Calif.

Going for Broke
There are at least two ways to explain the Bush Administration's attitude toward our ballooning federal budget deficit. Perhaps the President doesn't care and is willing for the country to suffer huge deficits as long as he gets what he wants — re-election and selective tax advantages. Or maybe he is operating with inadequate knowledge. The President has said he doesn't read newspapers, so his access to information must be limited. In preparing for the war in Iraq, the Bush team purposefully ignored any views that conflicted with its own. In discussing the federal deficit, does President Bush ever sit down face to face with strong proponents of fiscal restraint? Or is this President isolated?
STANLEY GOODMAN
Wyckoff, N.J.

Having lived through the horrors of the Great Depression of the 1930s, I am distressed to see the Administration sowing the seeds for another one with reckless policies. Most people who will vote in next year's election did not experience the Depression, but let us hope they will have the wisdom to elect officials who will return fiscal sanity to Washington. Depressions don't discriminate between Republicans and Democrats.
RALPH CRAIG
Amherst, Mass.

Aerial Adventures
You reported on the centennial of the Wright brothers' first flights at Kitty Hawk, N.C. [Dec. 8]. The Wright brothers revolutionized not only flight but human ambition as well. For ages, people had pondered the skies and attempted to fly. The Wright brothers questioned what was known about the physics of flight and rethought the requirements for a flying machine. In doing so, they achieved success where many others had failed. It was an amazing undertaking. Sixty-six years after their innovative 12-sec. flight, man walked on the moon. Imagine what advances in current technology may yield for the future!
PAUL A. JERECZEK
Dodge, Wis.