Letters: Mar. 8, 2004

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When Credibility Becomes an Issue

"President Bush's problem is that he can't differentiate between reality and his version of reality. He is seriously out of touch. KAREL ROGERS West Olive, Mich.

President Bush keeps making promises he cannot keep [Feb. 16]. The deficit has exploded on his watch. His tax cuts have not generated new jobs to replace the millions lost in the past three years. But Bush has called for no sacrifices on the part of Americans. He wants us to go to the moon and then Mars, without new taxes. But many essential services are being cut while the federal budget deficit balloons. The Administration's neocon advisers want to build an American empire without asking citizens to support it with more revenue. The White House plans to achieve it with smoke and mirrors. The President is overdrawn. BILL MITTLEFEHLDT Anoka, Minn.

If Bush has a credibility gap, it was manufactured by the Democratic Party. If the U.S. military finds a stash of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq--and that's still possible--what would the Democrats' line of attack be then? WMD are secondary to what Saddam Hussein did to Iraq. If the Dems want to make an issue about the war, then they deserve what happens to them in the November elections. DAVID HUTCHINSON Windsor Locks, Conn.

I find it ironic and hypocritical that we are conducting investigations into the 9/11 attacks and the intelligence behind Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq, with the apparent aim of indicting the Bush Administration for, on one hand, failing to do something to prevent 9/11 and, on the other, acting against a perceived threat of WMD in Iraq. Americans can't have it both ways. Either we must be willing to undertake pre-emptive actions against governments and groups that are known to be inimical to our nation and might carry out acts of terrorism against us, or we must be willing to accept civilian casualties because we are unwilling to act against terrorists. DEAN EPPLER Houston

Bush doesn't have just a credibility gap; it's a credibility chasm bigger than the Grand Canyon. It started when Bush campaigned as a "compassionate conservative," escalated the day he claimed victory in the 2000 presidential election; rocketed off the charts as he took the oath of office and promised to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution; and has continued unabated. CHRIS FINNIE Boulder Creek, Calif.

Whether he's talking about the war, his military record or anything else, it's clear that we have a President who has a problem telling the truth. ALAN L. LIGHT Iowa City, Iowa

The president's decision to invade Iraq was based on credible intelligence. TIME seems to believe that the U.S. is omniscient and knows our enemies' every move and intention. There are terrorists who wish to destroy America and all freedom-loving people. Bush acted decisively in leading our efforts to go after al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and topple a tyrannical psychopath in Iraq. America is safer today than it was three years ago, but further struggles and sacrifices lie ahead. BOB JONES Yardley, Pa.

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