Letter to the editor

President Bush, in a recent speech, urged Americans to look beyond the violence in Irag, citing success in stabilizing an insurgent stronghold in northern Iraq. He further states he has "confidence in our strategy and critics should look beyond the images of violence to see clear signs of progress". I'm afraid we are going to have to look real hard to see such signs and the only thing most Americans are looking beyond is Mr. Bush's term in office. If we could have foreseen the end results of an administration gone berserk in its determination to have its way in the face of flawed intelligence and a lack of reasonable restraint, we might have opted for prison sentences for some of its cabinet members before they could wreak such havoc upon the integrity and honor of our country; men like secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, who constantly miscalculated and misjudged the extent of resistance to our occupation after the fall of Saddam. He persistantly ignored and overrode the generals who called for more troops when it became all but obvious to everybody but Rumsfeld that we could not adequately defend the civilian population from being slaughtered in the streets by insurgents and fantatics of all stripes. Yes, Mr. president, looking beyond the violence is a tempting, if wishful thought. What is impossibe to look beyond is the fact that you continue to spout rose-tinted inanities and the sad thing is your steadfast conviction that we're the good guys and the good guys never lose.

George Morin
Auburn