Bush and Assad
Why does our President meet eagerly with the Syrian head of state, our former enemy, Hafez Assad, instead of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, our former friend?
Hussein, for all the wrongs he may have done, has shed no Yankee blood, whereas Hafez Assad has been accused of master-minding the terrorist attack on the Lebanon Marine headquarters that killed 241 American Marines.
Might it not be more to the point and far less costly if Bush and Hussein could share a meal together and talk turkey? It wouldn’t be as spectacular as Bush’s well-staged desert extravaganza on Thanksgiving Day, but it might be more productive, especially if both leaders would give a little to gain a peaceful settlement.
Surely both men are smart enough to know that war gains nothing but loses lives, dollars and the very property they are trying to save.
ALBERT JOHNSON
Laguna Hills
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
