The truth is MIA in the Iraq war

Re “Using Olive Branch, Cheney Lashes Foes,” Nov. 22

Now that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are suddenly so tolerant of debate but not of accusations about having lied about anything, let’s compromise: We’ll just say that Bush and Cheney have displayed a consistent and reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of their words. That’s actually a more accurate characterization of what they’ve done anyway.

BARRY S. NAIDITCH

El Cajon

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It is obvious that Karl Rove is still hard at work in the Bush administration. We have Cheney calling his enemies all the things that he really is: dishonest, cowardly, reprehensible and unpatriotic. They are like little boys who, when confronted with the truth, say whatever comes into their heads, thinking they will appear smart that way.

Maybe Cheney didn’t get the chance to read an article in The Times on Sunday about how the administration took discredited intelligence, sold it to Congress and now refuses to take the blame for the bungled mess it has gotten us into. It is no wonder the U.S. gets such little respect in the world.

W. N. FINKELSON

Santa Clarita

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With all this talk about U.S. forces pulling out of Iraq, once again politics gets put ahead of what most Americans really want to know: What is the plan in Iraq?

The closest I’ve heard is Bush and Cheney say we will stay the course until we win. Win what? A guerrilla war? Because that’s what this is; this isn’t a fight against terrorists. And someone should remind this administration that guerrilla wars are all but impossible to win.

The reason we went to war was to remove Saddam Hussein from power and secure his weapons of mass destruction. We caught Hussein and found no weapons of mass destruction. So hasn’t the goal of the invasion been achieved?

TROY CLINE

Valencia

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Cheney says that some Iraq critics are dishonest. Isn’t that like the pot calling the kettle black?

PAUL H. TAYLOR

San Francisco