Letters

Loo

"What happens in Iraq has the potential to be either a wonderful victory for democracy or a blight on America's foreign policy record."
SARAH J. LIPPITT
Alexandria, Va.

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After a year of U.S. occupation, Iraq has been labeled a quagmire and the Bush Administration admonished for not having an exit strategy [March 15]. But great progress has taken place in Iraq. There is a provisional constitution, signed and in place; election plans are being made; and a war-crimes tribunal is formed. Those are huge steps. If the U.S. has the wisdom to stay the course, Iraq will have democracy, and that development will have a positive effect on the entire Middle East. Helping the Iraqi people recover from Saddam Hussein's brutal regime will take some time. The premature withdrawal of U.S. forces for political reasons in an election year would backfire, and the whole region could be turned into an al-Qaeda stronghold.
DOROTHY NIKLOS
Chapman, Pa.

In waging war on Iraq, Bush didn't prove he would do whatever it takes to keep America safe. He showed only that he is adept at linking two entirely unrelated issues (Iraq and 9/11) and getting the media to help him do it — over and over again.
HEATHER FLYNN
Portland, Ore.

Asking which way is the exit from Iraq is cowardly. It's the kind of question posed by people without conviction. Your article ought to have begun with the declaration "Rarely does a day go by in Iraq that citizens do not enjoy some new freedom that they were denied for decades under a ruthless dictatorship."
RON BAILEY
Wooster, Ohio

The U.S. should not be looking for a quick withdrawal from Iraq. When will Americans make difficult policy choices without the name calling and political positioning that keep us stuck in quicksand? In President Bush we have a leader who is willing to risk everything to bring peace and stability to the Middle East. He has made it clear that the U.S. will not stand down. Bush wants to put an end to the recurring cycle of terrorism. We cannot retreat now; terrorists will not stop attacking us unless we show them that we will not cut and run.
BILL ANGELONI
Willow Grove, Pa.

The war in Iraq has proved to be the mother of all miscalculations. President Bush has plunged America into an impossible situation. Let the Iraqis continue their infighting and if they can't produce viable, stable government, the country can turn to the U.N.
DINA AUSTIN
Bramalea, Ont.

What Would Kerry Do?

In asking "Does Kerry Have A Better Idea?" about what to do in Iraq [March 15], you posed the million-dollar question and brought attention to something that could ultimately be the Senator's downfall. John Kerry offers criticism instead of answers to real problems. That has been his politically successful modus operandi since Vietnam. The battle for the White House will be long and hard fought. Kerry will need to come up with some specific answers, or Americans will soon see he is a political fraud.
HAY HASSANI
Beaver, Okla.

Kerry gave the most indecisive interview answers I have ever read by a man wanting to be U.S. President. He can't seem to decide how he feels about one of the most important issues in the 2004 election. He must make clear whether he opposes or supports the war. He has to decide and not hedge his answer based on future considerations. From what I've seen Kerry is not a leader.
MARK HARVILLE
Jackson, Tenn.

If Kerry has a better idea, he has yet to explain it. Other than bashing Bush, Kerry has no plan. He has no idea what to do when it comes to foreign policy.
WILL SCHWARZ
Midlothian, Va.

Any ideas Kerry has would be better than Bush's. A Democratic Administration would have been more patient and deliberative about going to war and would have created a larger coalition of allies. The U.N. would have been on board, and the U.S. would not be in the mess it's in now.
ROBERT WATSON
Dillard, Ga.

It's impossible to evaluate the nature of candidates' ideas on the basis of self-serving campaign rhetoric. After all, Bush promised to be a political uniter who would rev up the economy, curb excessive government spending and avoid nation building. Those seemed like good ideas at the time, but what is the reality today? I am not convinced that Kerry has any particularly new ideas, but I would be thrilled to have a President who had fewer horrible ones.
ARDY HAGEN
San Jose, Calif.

TIME'S interview with Kerry should be required reading for all Americans. The man offered merely a series of distinctions with no real differences from Bush's policies. I conclude that Kerry is incapable of making a decision until the most popular course is revealed. Only then would he jump on the winning bandwagon. And this from a man who wants us to entrust him with the responsibility for making decisions concerning life and death, war and peace?
ALAN O'CONNOR
Crown Point, Ind.