Iraq Conflict Hardens Political Battle Lines

Re “In the Rush for a Scoop, CBS Found Trouble Fast,” Sept. 18: Although the authenticity of the CBS documents is in question, an interview with the woman who was the commanding officer’s secretary during President Bush’s Air National Guard service clarified that the information in the memos did echo the feelings of the late Lt. Col. Jerry Killian. In his 2003 State of the Union address, Bush misled the nation when he stated that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium in Africa. This was based on forged documents that were not deemed reliable nearly a year earlier.

Were Dan Rather and CBS guilty of gung-ho reporting when they put their faith in the documents, even though their experts deemed them worthy? On the other hand, with the vast investigational abilities that government has at its disposal, I still have a difficult time with the Bush administration’s explanation why it used the basis of forged documents for a case against Hussein to garner a foundation for the Iraq war.

Margaret Anderson

Long Beach

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It must be extremely difficult for Rather and CBS to finally concede that the PC is mightier than the TV.

Robert L. Rosebrock

Brentwood

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Re “GOP Activist Made Allegations on CBS Memos,” Sept. 18: I take pride that the first person to spot the falsity of the Rather memos was a conservative Republican. It shows that we on the right have a high regard for accuracy and integrity.

David Skurnick

Montville, N.J.