The Drums of War, Again

Re “U.S. Adds Israel to the Iran Equation,” Jan. 21: I believe the time has come for sober Americans to seriously begin to question whether the obsession of Vice President Dick Cheney (among others) with spreading further war in the Middle East has slipped past mere hawkishness and crossed the boundary into genuine mental illness. He has become this administration’s very definition of warmonger.

Along with President Bush’s “axis of evil” declaration and Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice’s six “outposts of tyranny” statements, his comments should leave no doubt to anyone, friend or foe, that this administration’s foreign policy goals will lead to worldwide destruction and death on a level that the world’s worst terrorist couldn’t even dream of. How is our fanaticism different from our enemy’s if the result is still terror? We have seen the enemy, and he is us.

Randy Snyder

Los Angeles

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Following the spectacular success by this administration in introducing democracy and peace in Afghanistan and Iraq, it is encouraging to read Seymour Hersh’s report in the New Yorker magazine that “intelligence officials have revealed that Iran is the Bush administration’s next strategic target,” as Special Forces have already entered Iran. Presumably, this will be funded by the other award-winning economic policy -- specifically, further tax cuts for the wealthiest top 10% of our people.

Michael Strong

Corona del Mar

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The flood of propaganda that will now condition Americans for our coming attack on Iran will apparently be punctuated by warnings that Israel may attack Iran before we do. For once, we must move fast and preempt Israeli action. In armed aggression, as in everything else, America should never be outdone.

John Strain

Redondo Beach